I tested ProLon, the fasting-mimicking diet, against a 5-day sardine fast, ran my own bloodwork, and got the opposite result I expected. ProLon is the best-known version of the fasting-mimicking diet (FMD), a 5-day, low-calorie, plant-based protocol developed from Dr. Valter Longo's research at USC. The sardine fast is the cheap, unbranded version people keep hyping online.

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I ran both on myself about a month apart, kept calories low on each, and tracked the same markers throughout: IGF-1, fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, glucose, ketones, and glucose ketone index.

I was sure the premium protocol would win. I had spent years studying these pathways and expected the plant-based, low-protein design to be the real driver. A few cans of fish gave me the opposite answer. What you'll see in this podcast:

• The exact lab data that flipped my prediction
• IGF-1 side by side: the FMD dropped mine 55 points, the sardine fast dropped it 88
• How the sardine fast drove me into a deeper ketotic state than the $200 kit
• Where my fasting insulin, HOMA-IR, glucose, ketones, and GKI landed on each protocol
• A clearer way to understand mTOR and autophagy
• Why autophagy is not the on-off switch the internet claims
• Why a little of the right protein may help protect lean muscle during a deficit
• What this means for clinicians who want metabolic interventions patients can actually afford

About: I'm Andrew Reid. I founded Medgeeks in 2013, and for the last five years, I've been rebuilding how I think about chronic disease from the cell up. My goal is to treat nutrition as a real therapeutic intervention, held to the same standard of rigor we expect from pharmaceuticals.

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Disclaimer: This is an N of 1 experiment on my own physiology, shared for educational purposes only. It is not medical advice. A protocol like this is not right for everyone, especially if you are lean, managing a chronic condition, or taking medication. Talk with your healthcare provider before attempting any form of fasting or significant dietary change.