Valter Longo

Valter Longo is an Italian-American biochemist, biologist, and professor, recognized as one of the world's leading experts on longevity, nutrition, and the impact of fasting on health. He is the creator of the Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD) and author of the bestseller *The Longevity Diet*.

Longo studied biochemistry at the University of North Texas and earned his Ph.D. in biochemistry at UCLA, where he worked with leading researchers in the field of calorie restriction. His training was broadened by studies in immunology, genetics, microbiology, and neurobiology. His research has focused on the fundamental mechanisms of aging in simple organisms and how these mechanisms can be translated and applied to humans for disease prevention and life extension.

His most significant contribution is the development of the Fasting Mimicking Diet. It is a scientifically developed, periodic five-day dietary intervention that provides nutrients and calories but tricks the body into thinking it is in a fasting state. Clinical studies indicate that this diet reduces risk factors and markers associated with aging and disease by activating stem cell-based regeneration.

Longo is the director of the Longevity Institute at the University of Southern California (USC) and director of the Valter Longo Foundation, which is dedicated to research and providing health services to patients. His book *The Longevity Diet* synthesizes his research, promoting a diet rich in vegetables and legumes and low in protein and sugar, inspired by patterns of longevity. His legacy is having transformed our understanding of fasting as a tool of regenerative medicine and having provided a science-backed nutritional protocol for a longer, healthier life.