How Fasting Resets Your Biology and Helps You Live Longer – Valter Longo, Ph.D., with Dave Asprey

In this episode of Bulletproof Radio, I’m talking with a godfather of fasting, Professor Valter Longo, Ph.D. He started researching fasting decades before anyone else started paying much attention to it. In 2018, TIME Magazine named Prof. Longo as one of the 50 most influential people in health care for his research on fasting-mimicking diets as a way to improve health and prevent disease. He’s director of the Longevity Institute at University of Southern California-Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, Los Angeles, and director of the Longevity and Cancer Program at the Italian Foundation of Cancer Research.  “Fasting really in my mind is probably the most powerful way to reset and help regenerate, but also help clear junk and damage that is accumulated,” Prof. Longo says. Our conversation hits the high points of how and why to fast, and also goes into the research that got us to what we know today and looks at what’s next. We talk about everything from Prof. Longo's foundational research on yeast to the possibility of having future technology that tells us how to fast based on certain blood markers or gut bacteria. He’s also focused his work on the nutrients present in the fats, proteins and carbs we choose to consume during our fasts.  “Without understanding how nutrients such as proteins and sugars affect cellular function, aging and aging damage, and regeneration, it's difficult to determine the type and quantity of nutrients for optimal longevity,” Prof. Longo says in his book, “The Longevity Diet: Discover the New Science Behind Stem Cell Activation and Regeneration to Slow Aging, Fight Disease, and Optimize Weight.”  Beyond fasting, Prof. Longo created five pillars of longevity related to nutrition and human biology: juventology (the study of youth), epidemiology, clinical studies, centenarian studies, and the study of complex systems. We also discuss bigger philosophical questions and the ethics surrounding longevity. What would it mean to try and live forever? And what does longevity mean in the face of advancing technology that may boost our life span by 50 to 100 years?  “I think technology is going to take over in the next 50 years and I think bionics is going to take over in the next 50 years,” Prof. Longo says. “It’s going to be a very different world; it’s going to be a very different approach. And it’s going to be an approach that has to do much more with memory and memory transfer, and all kinds of crazy things.” Got a comment, idea or question for the podcast? Submit via this form. WE APPRECIATE OUR PARTNERS. CHECK THEM OUT! Breathe More, Snore Less: https://mutesnoring.com/DAVE; use promo code DAVE10 to save 10% and get free shipping Mouth Probiotics: https://blisprobiotic.com; hit the “Buy on Amazon” button and use code DAVE2021 to save 10%  Prescription Blue-Blocking Eyewear: https://truedark.com; use code DAVE to save 10%  VIRTUAL BIOHACKING CONFERENCE MAY 8, 2021 Recharge Your Cells & Upgrade Your Life at this one-day event! Register at https://www.biohackingconference.com  UPGRADE YOURSELF EVEN MORE Learn directly from Dave Asprey in his new membership group https://ourupgradecollective.com  DAVE ASPREY’S NEW BOOK “Fast This Way: Burn Fat, Heal Inflammation, and Become the High-Performing Human You Were Meant to Be” See Privacy Policy at https://art19.com/privacy and California Privacy Notice at https://art19.com/privacy#do-not-sell-my-info.