Study: Plant-based diet eaten in 11-hour window key to health and longevity

By Tom Campbell via SWNS

A diet that involves no red meat and eating at certain times of day is the secret to living a long and healthy life, according to a new study from California.

The 'longevity diet' favors fish and plant-based proteins, and even welcomes a number of healthy carbs.

This 'magic diet' also requires people to eat their meals within a certain time frame and allow time for periods of fasting.

People looking to follow a healthy diet are confronted with many options, most of which involve cutting back on carbs and calories.

But whether these diets help people stay healthy and live longer has not been clear.

Now scientists at the University of Southern California (USC) have found it is not only about what people eat, but also when they eat it.

Professor Valter Longo of USC said: "We explored the link between nutrients, fasting, genes, and longevity in short-lived species, and connected these links to clinical and epidemiological studies in primates and humans, including centenarians.

"By adopting a multi-system and multi-pillar approach based on over a century of research, we can begin to define a longevity diet that represents a solid foundation for nutritional recommendation and for future research.”

The researchers reviewed hundreds of studies on nutrition, diseases and long life, involving both animals and humans, and combined them with their own research.

Their analysis included a wide range of calorie-cutting diets such as the popular keto diet, as well as vegetarian, vegan and Mediterranean diets.

It also looked at various forms of fasting, including cutting out food intermittently or over longer periods of time - for two or more days several times per month.

Several factors were linked with living longer and certain illnesses, like levels of insulin, cholesterol and certain proteins.

The secret to living longer was eating a moderate to high amount of carbohydrates from unrefined sources, the researchers found. Unrefined carbs include vegetables, quinoa, oats, whole grains, beans and potatoes.

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Also, getting the right amount of protein and enough fats from plant-based sources to provide about 30 percent of energy needs.

Ideally, a person's meals would take place within an 11 to 12-hour window, allowing for a daily period of fasting.

A five-day cycle of fasting or fasting-mimicking diet every three to four months could also maintain healthy insulin levels and blood pressure, the researchers found.

Professor Longo described the diet in practise as: "Lots of legumes, whole grains, and vegetables; some fish; no red meat or processed meat and very low white meat; low sugar and refined grains; good levels of nuts and olive oil, and some dark chocolate.”

Their menu resembles Mediterranean diets found in so-called “Blue Zones” like Sardinia in Italy, Okinawa in Japan and Loma Linda in California, where people often live to be over 100.

These are usually plant-based with some seafood and relatively low in protein.

The researchers' diet adds to this by also providing time frames for meals and fasting and can be adapted based on the person's sex, age, health status and genetics.

People over age 65 were found to benefit from more protein to counter the loss of lean body mass and frailty.

Next, the researchers are planning on carrying out a 500-person study in southern Italy.

People looking to follow the longevity diet should work with a healthcare provider to come up with a plan which focuses on making small changes.

This is because making drastic changes can be harmful, causing major loss of body fat and lean mass.

Once more, people often put the weight back on once they have abandoned the highly restrictive diet.

Professor Longo said: "The longevity diet is not a dietary restriction intended to only cause weight loss but a lifestyle focused on slowing aging, which can complement standard healthcare and, taken as a preventative measure, will aid in avoiding morbidity and sustaining health into advanced age."

The findings were published in the journal Cell.