Is the ProLon Diet a Good Option for You?- Benefits & Disadvantages

The ProLon Fasting-Mimicking Diet is a pre-packaged meal plan. It was developed after two decades of research done in Southern California and funded by the NIH.

This 5-day fasting-mimicking diet is sold as a total meal plan by the creator Valter Longo, Ph.D. 

It’s a plant-based diet that is made to achieve fasting-like effects while nourishing the body with the necessary macro- and micronutrients to relieve the burden associated with fasting.

This diet is said to better the metabolism and make the person refreshed and energized. 

The diet is abundant in veggie soups, energy drinks, energy bars, tea, chip snacks, and supplements with minerals, vitamins, and fatty acids. 

The individuals who’re following the diet are encouraged to consume only what is provided for the 5-day fast.

What Can One Consume During the ProLon Diet?

Being a pre-packaged meal plan, the people following the diet shouldn’t consume any other foods besides the one supplied in the package. The package features soup mixes, olives, oils, herbal teas, kale crackers, and bars. 

The 5-day meal plan is advised to be followed at most once per month, for a period of six months. The food for the day is made to supply the body with plenty of nutrients. 

With this in mind, mixing the pieces of each meal isn’t recommended. 

Low in calories, protein, and sugar, this diet offers a high amount of unsaturated fats. The food for the meal plan makes the body think that it’s fasting because of the low intake of calories and the foods are sufficient to keep the body going.

What Are the Pros of the ProLon Prepackaged Diet Plan?

The fasting and fasting-mimicking diets offer some health advantages if they’re done safely and followed properly. 

Always consult your doctor before trying any type of diet, including this one.

Some of the potential benefits of the ProLon diet:

  • May lower inflammation

When we overeat or eat some foods, the body may experience inflammation or the feeling of being bloated after too much food. 

Since the ProLon diet imitates fasting, it may lower inflammation by reducing the cytokine expression, a pro-inflammatory, and thus, help you lower body fat and leukocytes circulating levels. 

  • May reduce the blood pressure

Fasting-mimicking diets can reduce blood pressure. 

And, the diet has an even better effect on those who’re already at risk for illness. 

  • May better the heart health

Intermittent fasting and fasting-mimicking diets help with weight loss and this is associated with better heart health. 

Those who fast also boast a lower risk of heart illness. 

  • May avert cancer

Since fasting causes a cleanup of cells, the risk of cancer developing reduces. 

Some theories, therefore, suggest that intermittent fasting may be of aid for the prevention of cancer.

  • May be of aid for the management of weight

Fasting and fasting-mimicking diets may better the metabolism and encourage weight loss. 

Diets like this one are designed to keep muscle mass and offer important nutrients for the body. 

In one study, three fasting-mimicking cycles led to weight loss and body fat loss.

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