The FastDay Forum

I'm restarting 5:2 after I read about a new study that is being started on 5:2 by Michael Mattson, the anti aging guru mentioned in The Fast Diet book.

As I mentioned in the Introductory forum, this time I'm making it my permanent way of eating.

I emailed Dr. Mattson and he was gracious enough to send me attachments about the full study...fascinating stuff!

Please let me know if you want me to link the attachments here. My husband can show me how to do it after he gets home from work tonight. I think you'll be interested in this study: 640 calories on two consecutive days and ad lib eating (no diets or calorie counting) the rest of the week.

I'm in!

Hi hymns&faith

I am interested in knowing the scientific methodology etc, so if this is covered by the attachments, then it would be great to see them.

Thanks

Yes please! Thank you very much

Oh, yes, please do post the material (or links to it). I'm very interested in Mattson's research . . . and Longo's, too.

I have been reading about him on line and ,"Yes please," do post about the link.

Yes post it please.

Yes please! Fascinating...

Hi everyone,

Yes, I will. When I was thinking of returning to 5:2 this week, I started googling 5:2 diet and saw a new article that mentioned Mark (sorry, it's MARK Mattson, not Micheal Mattson - I must have been thinking of Dr. Mosley!)...well anyway, I googled his email, emailed him, and to my shock and pleasant surprise, he actually answered me! Not only did he answer me, but he sent me three attachments. The first one is the full protocol of the 5:2 study he is starting. What makes this different from any other 5:2 study (like Harvie's Two Day Diet), is that on two consecutive days a week women who are post-menopausal, ages 55-70, I believe, will eat 640 calories two days a week (CONSECUTIVE DAYS), in the form of 4 Atkins Advantage shakes (640 cals total). For the other 5 days they will eat ad libitum, whatever they want without counting calories and without consciously overeating. This is different than the Harvie 5:2 study where on the other 5 days you had to follow a meditteranean food exchange diet. This current study will reflect people like us, eating in the real world. A lot of the study is a lot of science which I did not understand, but believe me, I still "got it."

I am not very computer savvy, and when hubby comes home he promised he would help me send the study. It's about 17 pages long. I'm here in the States, and I know there's a big time difference, so you guys will probably see it tomorrow!

Dr. Mattson also sent me a wonderful magazine article he wrote. I want to send that one to you guys too; it is just excellent, talking about how doctors are not schooled in intermittent fasting and would rather hand out prescriptions, etc. then recommend such an easy way of improving health. He also sent me another scientific paper. I just couldn't believe it. I wrote back and told him he needs to write his own book - heck everyone else is..ha ha!

I'm sorry to babble on and on so much. I was just so grateful that a famous scientist would take the time to actually email me back, and with those wonderful attachments no less!

Oh, this is wonderful news. A real, scientific study! Did it say what it's going to look for? Weight loss and weight maintenance? Cholesterol lowering? BP lowering? All of the above?

I just wanted to add, that once they start the study, it will last for 8 weeks, so I'm hopeful we will see the results in the not too distant future. When I read the study paper, it seemed like they expect weight loss and cognitive improvement (the study is titled "Intermittent Calorie Restriction, Insulin Resistance, and Biomarkers of Brain Function". I am so excited about this study. I recently went back to counting calories every single day, and I just can't do it. 5:2 was so much easier. So starting this week I'm following Mattson's protocol - heck, 640 cals a day for two consecutive days sounds even easier than 500 cals on any two days a week.

Let's hope this study gives 5:2 the real science backing it needs.

I was OK with that until I got to the '4 Atkins Advantage shakes', then stopped.
I don't eat meat or dairy. Oh well!

coffeetime, I don't do dairy either! Listen, I'm thinking the shakes are being supplied to the study group because then there is consistent calorie intake throughout the group.

I'm not having the Atkins shakes either. I'm going to just count out 640 calories for the two days. I really don't think there's anything magical about the shakes other than ease of calorie restriction for a study.

I'd bet the shakes are included because a) it's low carb, b) the study is sponsored by Atkins (so the results need v careful analysis by us) and c) they can be sure what the participants are actually consuming on their fast days. Two low carb, low calorie days is similar to Harvie's 2 day diet but the 'ad lib' eating on the other 5 days is more like MM's fast diet (aka 5:2). Harvie reckons the two days in a row with low carb gives extra benefits. However, the calorie deficit is a bit (280 cal per week)...whether it affects weightloss much will be interesting to see.

It's a shame that the study is only for 8 weeks! We really would like to know what a year and more on the diet does!

According to the study, it is sponsored by the National Institute on Aging, NHI.

I don't think it makes sense that Atkins would sponsor this, because you can eat anything you want on the other 5 days and Atkins is a total low carb diet, period. It would defeat their whole business purpose.

I think when studies like this are done, there has to be consistency and ease in controlling calories. What better way than to supply shakes?

Oh well, I'm just happy a study is being done.

carorees wrote: It's a shame that the study is only for 8 weeks! We really would like to know what a year and more on the diet does!

Totally agree, we need more studies over a longer time span. However, interesting to see the result of two consecutive days. It's the strategy I have been using. Lost 10 kg. in 12 weeks, considerable effect on blood markers, feeling great (and smarter than ever )