Italian cellular biologist (born 1967)
Valter D. Longo (born 1967) is an Italian-American biogerontologist and cell biologist known for his studies on the role of fasting and nutrient response genes on cellular protection aging and diseases and for proposing that longevity is regulated by similar genes and mechanisms in many eukaryotes . He is currently a professor at the USC Davis School of Gerontology with a joint appointment in the department of Biological Sciences as well as serving as the director of the USC Longevity Institute .
Early life and education
Valter Longo was born into a Calabrian family in the northern Italian city of Genoa in 1967.[ 1] [ 2] As a child, he spent much of his time imitating Jimi Hendrix 's guitar-playing style. At the age of 16, he moved to Chicago to study jazz guitar,[ 3] and lived with extended relatives.[ 4] While there, he observed that his relatives in the United States were genetically similar to his family back home, but many of them were suffering from diabetes and cardiovascular disease due to diets rich in fat, meat, and sugar.[ 4] [ 5] Three years later, he transferred to the University of North Texas College of Music to study jazz under Jack Petersen .[ 1] [ 3] To pay for his tuition, he worked at a gas station, repaired roofs, sold water filtration equipment, and joined the army as a reserve tank driver, narrowly avoiding deployment to combat during the 1991 Gulf War .[ 1] During his second year of music, Longo was selected to direct the university's marching band—an assignment he considered humiliating for someone aspiring to be a rock star. Consequently, he decided to shift his focus to studying nutrition and longevity.[ 1] [ 3] He graduated from the University of North Texas in 1992.[ 1] [ 6]
In 1992 he joined the laboratory of calorie restriction pioneer Roy Walford at UCLA where he studied calorie restriction and aging of the immune system .[ 1] [ 7] [ 8] While Longo sees Walford as a pioneer, he describes the extreme diet Walford advocated as a "little crazy,"[ 1] as it severely restricted food intake during Walford’s time in the experimental habitat of Biosphere 2 . "When they exited Biosphere, they looked liked hell," Longo said. "Walford looked like a skeleton."[ 9] He completed his PhD work in Biochemistry studying antioxidant enzymes and anti-aging genes under Joan Valentine at University of California, Los Angeles in 1997,[ 8] [ 10] and his postdoctoral training under Caleb Finch at the University of Southern California .[ 6] [ 11]
Career
Since 1997, Longo has been a faculty member at the USC Davis School of Gerontology and Ethel Percy Andrus Gerontology Center . He is a member of the formation of USC's Biology of Aging program as well as the director of the USC Longevity Institute ,[ 12] also launched the USC Davis School of Gerontology's first study-abroad program, a summer class in the nutrition and genetics of aging in Italy.[ 13]
Personal life and diet
Valter Longo is not married and has no children, he said: "I'm dedicated to what I do and involved in many clinical trials."[ 9] [ 14]
With regard to longevity, Longo promotes a mostly plant-based diet and eats fish no more than two or three times per week.[ 15] [ 16] [ 17] In addition, he suggests implementing time-restricted eating , with daily eating windows of 11–12 hours.[ 18] His research is focused on the fasting-mimicking diet (FMD). The FMD is a low-calorie, low-protein, moderate-carbohydrate, moderate-fat plant-based diet program, that he argues mimics the effects of periodic fasting or water fasting . The course lasts five days, while still aiming to provide the body with nutrition,[ 19] [ 20] and is considered a periodic fast.[ 21] Longo founded the biotechnology company L-Nutra and developed the ProLon fasting-mimicking diet.[ 22] [ 23]
In 2011, Longo was profiled on Through the Wormhole for his longevity-related research.[ 24] A year later, he discussed his fasting research with Michael Mosley in an episode of the BBC documentary series, Horizon called, Eat, Fast, and Live Longer .[ 25] [ 26]
His appearances and interviews in documentaries and TV series include the 2012 movie Science of Fasting ,[ 27] the 2020 series The Goop Lab ,[ 28] [ 29] and Down to Earth with Zac Efron .[ 30] [ 31] Longo's studies on fasting inspired the documentary Fasting and The Longevity Revolution , narrated by Edward Norton and directed by Academy Award -nominated Barry Alexander Brown .[ 32]
Bibliography
Accolades
In 2018, Valter Longo was named one of Time ’s fifty most influential people in health care,[ 36] and in 2021 Science called him a pioneer in the nutrition and cancer field.[ 37]
References
^ a b c d e f g Petroni, Agostino (June 7, 2024). "Can fasting help you live to 100?" . The Economist . ISSN 0013-0613 . Archived from the original on January 28, 2025. Retrieved January 28, 2025 .
^ "Why do we get old and sick?" . Royal College of Psychiatrists . February 12, 2018. Archived from the original on January 28, 2025. Retrieved January 28, 2025 .
^ a b c Lytal, Cristy (January 2, 2014). "Valter Longo seeks a recipe for longevity" . Keck School of Medicine of USC . Archived from the original on January 28, 2025. Retrieved January 28, 2025 .
^ a b Horowitz, Jason (March 25, 2024). "To Live Past 100, Mangia a Lot Less: Italian Expert's Ideas on Aging" . The New York Times . ISSN 1553-8095 . Archived from the original on January 2, 2025. Retrieved January 2, 2025 .
^ Pawlowski, A. (October 5, 2023). "Diet and exercise habits of a longevity expert who wants to live to 120" . Today . Archived from the original on November 25, 2024. Retrieved November 25, 2024 .
^ a b "Valter Longo, PhD - USC Leonard Davis School of Gerontology" . USC Davis School of Gerontology . Archived from the original on May 24, 2023. Retrieved January 28, 2025 .
^ Brueck, Hilary (August 8, 2024). "An Italian scientist started eating like an American and saw his blood sugar and cholesterol skyrocket. A simple diet helped him reverse the damage" . Business Insider . Archived from the original on January 29, 2025. Retrieved January 29, 2025 .
^ a b Longo, Valter (March 2021). "Editorial: Interview with Professor Valter Longo" . FEMS Yeast Research . 21 (2). Oxford University Press . doi :10.1093/femsyr/fox052 . ISSN 1567-1364 . PMID 29186374 .
^ a b McFarling, Usha Lee (June 13, 2017). "He wants to sell you a $300 'fasting diet' to prolong your life. It might not be as crazy as it sounds" . Stat . Archived from the original on January 30, 2025. Retrieved January 30, 2025 .
^ Jennings, Penny (April 11, 2024). "Alumni in the News – Dr. Valter Longo" . UCLA Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry . Archived from the original on January 29, 2025. Retrieved January 29, 2025 .
^ Chen, Ingfei (February 5, 2003). "Listening to the Song of Senescence" . Science . American Association for the Advancement of Science . doi :10.1126/article.63508 . ISSN 1095-9203 . Archived from the original on January 30, 2025. Retrieved January 30, 2025 .
^ "USC Longevity Institute" . USC. Archived from the original on 21 August 2016. Retrieved 21 March 2012 .
^ Riggs, Jonathan. "Gerontology and Genoa's Lifestyle" . USC News. Archived from the original on 2 April 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2012 .
^ Daly, Todd T. W. (2022). "The New Asceticism: Biohacking the Body for Greater Longevity" . Dignitas . Vol. 29, no. 1, 2. The Center for Bioethics & Human Dignity, Trinity International University . pp. 18– 22. ISSN 2372-1979 . OCLC 876385966 . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Kenny, Serafina (November 2, 2023). "What Longevity Diet researcher Valter Longo eats in a day to live longer" . Business Insider . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Rodrigues, Ashwin (October 30, 2024). "The Real-Life Diet of Longevity Doctor Valter Longo, Who Wants You to Finish Eating Well Before Bedtime" . GQ . ISSN 0016-6979 . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Lally, Maria (February 22, 2024). "Everything you need to know about the fasting mimicking diet" . The Times . ISSN 0140-0460 . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Newcomb, Beth (April 28, 2022). "New Article Outlines the Characteristics of a "Longevity Diet" " . USC Davis School of Gerontology . Archived from the original on November 22, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Gersema, Emily (February 15, 2017). "Scientifically-designed fasting diet lowers risks for major diseases" . Keck School of Medicine of USC . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ King, Jennifer (June 19, 2015). "Fasting diets and longer life may go hand-in-hand, new research finds" . ABC News . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Landro, Laura (April 11, 2017). "Can Different Forms of Fasting Make You Healthier?" . The Wall Street Journal . ISSN 1042-9840 . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Mathews, Jessica (October 20, 2017). "Fasting: A trending food idea and new frontier in longevity science" . CNBC . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Howley, Elaine K. (April 25, 2024). "What Is a Fasting-Mimicking Diet?" . U.S. News & World Report . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Riggs, Jonathan (August 5, 2012). "Valter Longo and Morgan Freeman Celebrate" . USC Davis School of Gerontology . Archived from the original on May 29, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Bee, Peta (March 7, 2017). "Will you try the new (easy) fast diet?" . The Times . ISSN 0140-0460 . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ "The power of intermittent fasting" . BBC News . August 5, 2012. Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ The Telegraph (April 14, 2015). " 'Humans are programmed for loss': Why therapeutic fasting could be the answer to 'lifestyle diseases' like obesity" . National Post . ISSN 1486-8008 . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Bundel, Ani (January 25, 2020). "Netflix and Gwyneth Paltrow's 'Goop Lab' docuseries is all kinds of awful" . NBC News . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Anderson, John (January 23, 2020). " 'The Goop Lab' Review: Experiments Gone Awry" . The Wall Street Journal . ISSN 1042-9840 . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Spagnuolo, Eugenio (August 31, 2020). "Benessere green, 5 cose che si imparano guardando «Zac Efron: con i piedi per terra»" . GQ Italia (in Italian). ISSN 0016-6979 . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Napp, Abigail (July 15, 2020). "Zac Efron's New Series Shines a Light on Sardinian Food" . La Cucina Italiana . ISSN 1594-9338 . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Ntim, Zac (June 25, 2024). "Edward Norton To Narrate Wellness Doc 'Fasting And The Longevity Revolution' Directed By 'BlacKkKlansman' Editor Barry Alexander Brown" . Deadline Hollywood . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Cruz, Nancy (January 11, 2018). "The Longevity Diet With Valter Longo" . KTLA . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ CBN News (February 5, 2018). Dr. Valter Longo Explains the Longevity Diet that Mimicks Fasting . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 – via Youtube .
^ "Fasting Cancer by Valter Longo, PhD" . Penguin Random House . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ "The 50 Most Influential People in Health Care of 2018" . Time . ISSN 0040-781X . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Kaiser, Jocelyn (April 1, 2021). "Special diets might boost the power of drugs to vanquish tumors" . Science . American Association for the Advancement of Science . ISSN 1095-9203 . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Riggs, Jonathan (May 4, 2012). "Valter Longo Wins 'Rising Star' Award" . USC Davis School of Gerontology . Archived from the original on March 27, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Curatola, Eva (February 24, 2018). "Valter Longo vincitore del Premio Simpatia della Calabria 2018" . CityNow (in Italian). Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Admin (September 8, 2018). "Il Premio Simpatia 2018 alla Calabria Migliore!" . Associazione Incontriamoci Sempre (in Italian). Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Newcomb, Beth (September 26, 2016). "Valter Longo Receives Glenn Award for Research in Biological Mechanisms of Aging" . USC Davis School of Gerontology . Archived from the original on June 1, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ Wilhelmi de Toledo, Françoise (2013). "Eat, Fast, and Live Longer!" . Research in Complementary Medicine . 20 (6). Karger Publishers : 462– 464. doi :10.1159/000357608 . ISSN 1661-4127 . PMID 24434761 .
^ "Maria Buchinger Foundation" . Buchinger Wilhelmi . Archived from the original on January 31, 2025. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ "National Institute on Aging, Nathan W. Shock Lecture" . National Institute on Aging . Archived from the original on September 11, 2015. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
^ "Honors and Awards" . USC Davis School of Gerontology . Archived from the original on July 3, 2023. Retrieved January 31, 2025 .
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