ROME (ITALPRESS) – A new randomized cross-over study, published today in the scientific journal Cell Reports Medicine, reveals that periodic cycles of the mimic fasting diet significantly improve chemosensory perception, including taste and smell, and simultaneously promote metabolic health.The study was led by Alessandro Micarelli of UNITER Onlus in Rome, Marco Alessandrini of the University of Rome Tor Vergata and Valter Longo, director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, with the collaboration of Simona Mrakic-Sposta and Alessandra Vezzoli of the Institute of Clinical Physiology – CNR – Milan and Sandro Malacrida of Eurac Research in Bolzano, Italy.This study is among the first to show that periodic fasting can counteract loss of sense of smell, a condition often linked to metabolic dysfunction. After six cycles of the mimic-fasting diet, the percentage of participants with reduced olfactory sensitivity (hyposmia) decreased from 38.1 percent to 6.4 percent, with improvements that were maintained over time.In addition to improvements in taste and smell, the study showed significant metabolic and anti-inflammatory effects. Participants experienced: reductions in blood glucose, insulin, IGF-1 and LDL cholesterol; loss of more than 9 kg of fat mass in six months, with no loss of muscle mass (as measured by bioelectrical impedance analysis – BIA); improved insulin sensitivity; and reduced inflammatory markers (PCR, ESR). Research also suggests that the mimic-fasting diet may help reduce drug dependence. In fact, 58-68% of diabetic participants reduced their use of diabetes medications after six cycles of the mima-fasting diet, and 25-29% of those taking blood pressure medications also decreased their dosage.Yes, the mimic-fasting diet offers both metabolic and sensory benefits, but the study emphasizes that it is even more effective when integrated into a structured intervention that includes individualized dietary supervision, medical monitoring, and laboratory testing.Longo highlighted the broader implications of the findings, “This study reinforces the link between fasting, inflammation, and sensory perception. It suggests that sensory chemo decline in people with obesity is not necessarily permanent and can be counteracted with short cycles of mimic fasting diets. He also advances the possibility that the improvement in olfactory function facilitated by cycles of the mimic-fasting diet may result in increased stem cell or other regenerative effects in patients in the olfactory bulb. This hypothesis has already been demonstrated in animal models but not yet in humans. Modulation of taste and smell could also help regulate appetite, encourage healthier food choices, and reduce overeating without the need for drugs.” Implications for disease prevention and sensory health The study also confirms that a periodic protocol of a mimic-fasting diet, when incorporated into a structured lifestyle intervention, can lead to lasting improvements in both sensory and metabolic function. These results open new perspectives for dietary interventions aimed at counteracting chemosensory decline, obesity and metabolic disorders.-photo ICN group press office (in photo Valter Longo)-(ITALPRESS).
