The simple act of fasting has become more and more popular in recent years, and many people are looking to intermittent fasting to lose weight and improve their overall health. However, studies suggest that fasting can combat oxidative stress, protect the heart, and even lead to longevity, but the idea of going without eating for hours or days at a time. Is not attractive to anyone.
Join ProLon: A program that mimics fasting, which is also advertised by fitness influencers and celebrities. The 5-day ProLon plan claims to promote cell regeneration, support metabolic health, and result in an average loss of £ 5. But what exactly is the ProLon diet? And more importantly, is it safe? We asked a registered dietitian about the potential benefits of this trendy diet plan and who is best suited for it.
What is the Prolon Diet?
Pre-packaged meals and timed meal plans aren’t new, but ProLon combines these concepts to provide food and drink designed to mimic fasting. Traditional fasting means refraining from eating altogether for a period of time, but a diet that mimics fasting provides a certain amount of nutrients that help minimize side effects, while the body fasts. Allows you to enjoy the benefits.
Sign up for the ProLon diet and get up to 5 days’ worth of plant-based food and drink, from vegetable-based soups to energy bars and tea. Along with your food, you also receive supplements that provide high levels of minerals, vitamins, and essential fatty acids that should be taken throughout those five days. Everything you need to consume in a day is individually boxed so you don’t get confused about what to eat and when.
The ProLon system food is equivalent to a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet, providing 700-1,100 calories per day. Due to the composition of the major nutrients in this plan, the body goes through a process called gluconeogenesis. During gluconeogenesis, glycogen stores are depleted and the body makes energy from non-carbohydrate sources. This plays an important role in the observed positive health outcomes.
As the limited supply suggests, you only need to follow the ProLon diet for 5 days. After that, you can return to your normal diet. We recommend repeating the ProLon system for 3 months each month and then every 3-6 months.
How Much Does a ProLon Diet Cost?
You can buy one ProLon box for $ 249 or subscribe to save multiple deliveries.
What are the benefits of the ProLon diet?
One of the striking claims of the ProLon diet is that this method is backed by extensive preclinical and clinical research over 20 years. Specifically, a study on the ProLon diet found that eating this method for 5 consecutive days a month for 3 consecutive months reduced body weight, waist circumference, and body mass index (BMI). rice field. People at risk of symptoms such as high blood pressure and elevated triglycerides experienced the best results, including improved fasting blood glucose, cholesterol, and inflammatory markers.
The results of this study are impressive, but for several reasons they should be taken with a grain of salt. Many dropped out of the study due to small sample sizes and inability to comply with schedule conflicts and fasting imitation program guidelines. Also, Dr. Valter Longo, the creator of the ProLon diet, was one of the authors of the study, revealing that the university where the study was conducted may receive royalties from ProLon’s parent company. It is also important to be careful.
There are additional studies to highlight the benefits of a diet that mimics fasting, but they are not necessarily the specific guidelines or proprietary foods that underlie the ProLon program. For example, in one study that reported positive results for breast cancer patients, participants were offered a low calorie range of 200 calories per day, much lower than the ProLon diet. Several studies reporting benefits from a diet that mimics fasting have also used animals instead of humans.
Should You Try the Prolon Diet?
There are certainly potential benefits to following a ProLon program, or a diet that mimics fasting, but is it worth the investment or should this trend be skipped?
“ProLon is not a cleansing or weight loss plan,” Lauren Harris Pincus, MS, RDN, author. Protein-rich breakfast club When All Easy Prediabetes Cookbook, Told to POPSUGAR. “Weight loss can be a side effect of significant calorie reduction for 5 days, but it’s not the main purpose. Many are the result of depleting glycogen storage, and increasing calorie intake recovers at least to some extent. Also. “
However, ProLon can act as a “bit of palate reset,” Harris-Pincus explained. “The deliciousness of vegetables during and after processing is amazing. You don’t have to think about what to eat for five days, and they will support you as needed.”
Fresh Nutrition PLLC owners Sharon Puero, Massachusetts, RD, and CDN said they were concerned about the “high price tag” of their diet, especially as it is unlikely to bring about sustainable change. Puero explained that most people work best when they can incorporate the food they enjoy into their regular and healthy routines. “It’s not when you’re limited to expensive foods that you don’t normally choose.”
Puello believes in intermittent fasting and its benefits, but she feels that fasting needs to be tailored to the individual’s lifestyle, nutritional needs, and goals, rather than the all-purpose approach ProLon offers. .. However, “this can be a decent option for enthusiastic and generally healthy fasters who do not have the drawbacks of fasting and want to try to fast longer,” Puero said. “The material is simple and does not give a warning signal.”
She added that the main goal of a long fast is to reduce inflammation and balance gut bacteria rather than lose weight. “If anyone is considering this program for quick weight loss, it wouldn’t be what I recommend,” Puero told POPSUGAR.
Sarah Gold Nutrition owners Sarah Gold, MS and RDN have agreed. “Such quick fixes don’t teach individuals enough about a healthy diet, which leads to lasting positive changes,” Gold said. This diet contains healthy fats, vegetables, and other healthy foods, but lacks the entire food group recommended as part of a healthy diet, such as fruits, dairy products, and fish. I am.
Is the ProLon diet safe for everyone?
Instagram influencers may advertise the ProLon diet as an almost universal solution, but researchers should note that there are some things to consider when following this plan or a diet that mimics fasting. doing. “A diet that mimics fasting or any type of fasting intervention that lasts more than 12 hours, especially a fasting intervention that lasts several days, should preferably be supervised by a medical professional familiar with long-term fasting,” wrote Dr. Longo and his colleagues. I am. “Additional research is needed to determine the safety of subjects over the age of 70,” they said.
Puello warns anyone who has had obesity surgery on the ProLon diet. Obese patients have a higher need for protein and micronutrients than other patients, so it is not advisable to lack proper nutrition for days, Puero explained. She added that anyone with a history of eating disorders should avoid this program.
According to Harris-Pincus, it’s also on the list of people who need to avoid eating foods that mimic fasting. People who are pregnant, have certain medical conditions such as type 1 diabetes, or who are active and need to be vigilant include first responders, heavy equipment operators, pilots, buses, trucks, and train drivers. She also emphasized the importance of discussing the ProLon diet with your doctor before starting the program, as certain prescription medications can be affected by a dramatic reduction in calories.
What is the conclusion? The ProLon diet can have good health consequences for some people. Especially if the program is repeated every month for 3 consecutive months and then every 3-6 months. However, it is a bit exaggerated to say that this diet is safe and appropriate for everyone. Your best bet is to talk to your doctor before you fork $ 249 for your 5 day box.
