The history:
-The method of “Anti-Aging Cyclic Fasting” (CF-method) and history of its creation
-How gerontology may extend your lifespan.
-Interesting facts about some specialists and the most efficient anti-aging techniques.
Do we know the most efficient and scientifically proven method of increasing your lifespan available today? Sure we do. This method of is based on caloric restriction (CR) or cyclic fasting (CF).
Evidence that mammalian longevity could be increased, first emerged in 1935 in a rodent study showing that caloric restriction (CR) without malnutrition, extended average and maximum lifespan whilst delaying the onset of the majority of age-associated diseases. CR and CF are widely viewed as a scientific models that have provided immense insights into reversing aging. Using CR and CF, we developed a highly efficient anti-aging technique. We call this “Anti-Aging Cyclic Fasting”. The creator of this outstanding reversal of aging, is D. Arcady Economo. With it the following dramatic changes will be seen:
-Significant slowing of aging and rejuvenation of the body
-Unparalleled preservation of mental and physical functions as well as appearance
-Substantially reduced risks of many age related diseases including: heart disease, cancer, diabetes, autoimmune disease, osteoporosis, and neurodegenerative diseases such as Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s and many others. See full list of diseases affected here.
Before revealing to you all of our secrets of how we intend to extend your lifespan by as much as 40%, we have to tell you a brief history of the creation of the CF-method. We’ll also describe some of the distinguished scientists (gerontologists) who figured in this development. We will show you our spectacular resorts, located in Europe, where we successfully implement our treatments. Our main objective was to develop a method of life extension. This is based on theoretical and practical research into anti-aging and related science, using data which has been accumulated over the past 80 years. Cyclic Fasting slows down aging by means of a recurring nutritional regime. According to anti-aging experts, scientists, specialists in CR and CF who tell us the result depends on the age the Cyclic Fasting commenced:
If you start at the age of 20 – 25 years your lifespan will increase by 35-40 years
If you start at the age of 30 – 35 years your lifespan will increase by 30-35 years
If you start at the age of 40 – 45 years your lifespan will increase by 25-30 years
If you start at the age of 50 – 55 years your lifespan will increase by 20-25 years
If you start at the age of 60 – 65 years your lifespan will increase by 15-20 years
If you start at the age of 70 – 75 years your lifespan will increase by 10-15 years
As we have already mentioned the Cyclic Fasting protocol has a strong healing and rejuvenating effect.
The main principles of CF method combine two extremely successful, proven approaches in experimental and clinical gerontology. The first approach is “cyclic fasting” (CF), and the second is “calorie restriction” (CR). The first approach takes its origins from the data that showed the importance of fasting for optimal health and the second approach is based on a well-known calorie restriction paradigm in gerontology.
Gerontologists who inspired Dr. Economo to develop Cyclic Fasting method
Dr Economo earned his master’s degree in Chemistry from Moscow State University. After graduating, he began working at the Institute of Pharmacology in Moscow. At that time, his research focused on the pharmacodynamics and pharmacokinetics of various psychotropic drugs. He was one of the inventors of the tranquilizer “phenazepam” (Be careful here as this drug is banned in some European countries and has a bad reputation for its side effects Do you need to mention it?) In 1982, Dr Economo earned his Ph.D. in biology and pharmacology and became more interested in anti-aging research. The ‘80s was time of supreme optimism – it seemed feasible to invent medicines effective against any disease, even against age itself. The race was on; a great number of scientists were looking for the “elixir of life.”
Dr Economo entered into this race filled with the energy of his youth. Slowly, it became obvious that new approaches and ideas were needed to boost anti-aging medicine to its ultimate goal: ending the aging process. Scientists gradually realized that unprecedented challenges require unprecedented approaches. Looking for “elixirs” might not be the right direction at all! Arcady Economo worked at the laboratory of psycho-pharmacology during the 1980s when he was actively researching a “wonder anti-aging pill.”
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| Dr. Yurij Nikolaev |
At the time Dr Economo was working in the lab, the legendary professor Yuri Nikolaev, was trying to find a cure for some of the most serious psychiatric disorders. By means of simple fasting, Dr Nikolaev was able to cure many psychiatric conditions, including schizophrenia Arcady often visited Nikolaev and discussed with him and his colleagues his “strange” new method – one that showed the real wonder of medicine – and how this natural process was more effective than any drug at combating many conditions. Step by step it becomes clear that fasting generated rejuvenation and healing not only on the mental level but also in human tissue, systems and organs. Naturally, the gerontologists at the facility began to consider Nikolaev’s “fasting method” and its relationship to the aging process. Because Dr Nikolaev’s technique was unknown at the time, some scientists at the facility regarded it as a “barbaric experiment on humans.” Only the director’s strong backing protected him and allowed him to continue his experiments. Eventually because of further research he was able to find solutions for many somatic maladies such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease, arthritis and much more, all of which demonstrated the efficiency of fasting. All of these spectacular results influenced the young Dr Economo greatly, but it wasn’t until much later that he decided to use Nikolaev’s fasting paradigm in anti-aging treatments.
Here’s the story.
- Step by step it became clear that fasting generates rejuvenation and healing not only on the mental level but in other human tissues, systems and organs
- Basic therapeutic fasting can be traced back to ancient times. The positive effects of periodic fasting were well-known by physicians and philosophers of ancient Greece, the Middle East, India and Tibet.
- Pythagoras, Socrates and Plato fasted for health reasons. Hippocrates and Avicenna (Ibn-Sina) recommended fasting as a core curative method.
- Another reason periodic fasting is common is because of religious beliefs. Many religions practice fasting and have special days and weeks when they abstain from eating or follow a very strict low-calorie diet.
- Today, therapeutic fasting is used in hospitals and institutes across the globe. Take for example Büchenger’s Fasting Clinic in Germany.
- The early studies on the benefits of fasting conducted by Dr. Paul Bragg and Dr. Herbert Shelton helped Arcady Economo formulate his fasting paradigm, which gave rise to the FIRST of the two fundamental components of “Anti-Aging Cyclic Fasting”, which is caloric restriction.
- The calorie restriction (CR) paradigm is not new. Eighty years ago, American scientist, Dr. Clive M. McCay, extended a rat’s life span by 50% by using a calorie-restricted diet.
- The researchers discovered that the diets not only extended the rat’s life span, but also stabilized mental functioning and physical fitness.
- Finally Dr. Arcady Economo united the two fundamental components of the life extension program. The FIRST component is periodic, cyclic “Water Fasting”.
Dr Economo started working at the Russian State Medical University in 1990, where together with its director – Professor Vladimir Yarigin, he organized the Anti-Aging Center (AAC). This center explored the theoretical and practical aspects of gerontology. The theoretical aspect was based on influences of another outstanding specialist: L. Gavrilov. Dr Economo used Gavriolov’s theories to conduct a thorough analysis of the statistical data of human mortality in various countries. He looked for differences in the average age of death and tried to determine the cause of these differences. Dr Economo published a series of scientific papers about these mortality statistics. (See his scientific publications at www.pubmed.org look for: Ekonomov AL)
As for the practical application, the AAC was working tirelessly, determined to create a different anti-aging nutritional regime. This later became widely used for treating patients primarily suffering from obesity, diabetes, arthritis and cardiovascular disease. For each patient, low-calorie diets were developed taking into account each individual’s particular health problem. Computer programs were used to create and balance individual diets. During those years, the AAC prescribed anti-aging individually adjusted nutritional programs to thousands of patients. The patients of the Anti-Aging Group successfully lost weight, while more importantly, defeated many chronic diseases. For Dr A. Economo, the 1990s were the years of building the foundation on which the successful future of anti-aging medicine would be constructed. Completely different ideas, directions, and approaches in gerontology were tested and analyzed, both theoretically as well as practically. The ultimate goal was to construct an efficient, reproductable and simple method for fighting aging and age-related diseases.
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| L. Gavrilov |
Here we would like to say several words about the outstanding gerontologist, Leonid Gavrilov, who had a great influence on Dr Economo. Dr Gavrilov mentored him and helped him avoid the pitfalls of anti-aging medicine that lay waiting for the unwary. This helped Arcady greatly in his research
As they were both students of Moscow University they often meet to discuss their ideas. They were regular visitors and lecturers at the seminars at the Moscow Society of Gerontology, a forum for discussion of diverse and sometimes extreme theories, about aging and methods of life extension. Gavrilov started his gerontological research during his first year at the University. He spent all his energy focussing on a very narrow aspect of gerontology and demography – mortality statistics. He analyzed different aspects of mortality and disease statistics in the populations of different countries. He found and confirmed a number of regularities. In particular he showed on a wide statistical basis, that aging is not a linear but an exponential process. That means that the probability of death grows geometrically and doubles every 7-8 years. This leads to a 100 percent probability of death at the age of about 120. Using mathematical models he proved that almost all animals and human beings age in the same manner. Age related mortality growth and mechanisms seem to be the same in nearly all living systems. Gavrilov was one of the first who successfully applied mathematical models to the theory of reliability in gerontology.
Being strongly influenced by Gavrilov’s ideas, Dr Economo devoted several years of his scientific life to analyzing variables of mortality. In particular, he studied mortality in different states of the USA, analyzing American life expectancy tables in different years of the 20th century. The purpose of his research was to find conclusive fundamental factors that he believed were hidden behind differences of mortality in different populations and groups of people. At first the research was very interesting, but he gradually came to recognize that the studying of mortality statistics leads to a dead-end! He found differences in overall mortality in various regions and different countries were not so. This led Dr Economo to make the decision to break away from this direction in gerontology and return to the nutritional paradigm as the primary anti-aging treatment method.
Today, L. Gavrilov is living and working in the USA as a scientific consultant to the Center on Aging at the University of Chicago. He has written several books, the most famous being “Biology of Lifespan.” He successfully continues to develop new theoretical approaches in gerontology, based on expanded demographical data of mortality in human populations, and has become increasingly more grounded in statistics, demography and the theory of reliability. But if we can be honest with gerontology, we will realize that there are other revolutionary discoveries.
Using demography to study the aging process will reveal weak differences or factors that affect the process. Statistical differences of overall mortality between countries and different populations are not very great. That is why it is not correct to make fundamental conclusions and generalizations based on the “weak” differences that demography reveals. On the other hand the results of demographic studies are easier to popularize among the general public and they can be an effective instrument of manipulations of public opinion. A lot of interesting speculations can be derived based upon demographical differences.
If we back pedal from manipulations and speculations to real science we have to say that gerontologists must focus on the differences in the life spans of different species; differences in lifespan of “knockout” (gene mutant) animals compared with controls and differences in the rate of aging depending on how many calories are ingested on a daily basis.
That is why Dr Economo decided to turn his attention solely in the directions of gerontology which observed strong effects on the rate of aging and life expectancy. Therefore, in the early 1990s he began to analyze one of the strongest anti-aging effects known at that time – calorie restriction. This calorie restriction paradigm gave rise to one of the two fundamental components in the future development of “Anti-Aging Cyclic Fasting”.
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| Clive M. McCay |
Twenty years ago, similar experiments on monkeys (our closest biological kin), were started. Research began in two US centres at about the same time. The first project started in 1987, under the leadership of Dr George S. Roth of the National Institute of Aging. In it tests on rhesus monkeys (average life span 35 years) and squirrel monkeys (life span is approximately 20 years). The second project on rhesus monkeys began in 1989 by a group at the University of Wisconsin-Madison (Richard Weindruch, William B.Ershler, Joseph W.Kemnitz and Ellen B. Roecker); In both cases, the control groups’ calorie consumption was decreased by 30 percent in comparison with others in the study. The tests have been going on for twenty years, and the results of the research show that monkeys following the calorie-restricted diet are much healthier, more active and function better. All indicators show that monkeys react to the diet in the same way as rats. Bio-markers of aging (there are about one hundred such indicators), such as blood pressure, cholesterol levels, and blood-sugar levels, all look better in the reduced-calorie group. In 2009 the first data regarding mortality rates started to appear. Not surprisingly, mortality was much higher in those animals that did not follow caloric restriction.
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| Roy L. Walford |
Today many clinical studies show that CR decreased overall mortality substantially in the same manner as in animal experiments. Despite a lot of evidence accumulated that CR “works” not only in rodents but also in humans. Gives rise to a question “Can we expect similar life-prolonging effects in human beings as we observed in rodents?” Dr Roy Walford, one of the leading experts and specialists in caloric restriction, wrote a book entitled, “Beyond the 120 year diet: How to double your Vital Years”. In this book Dr Walford said:” We won’t know absolutely until a cohort of CR dieters lives to be over 120, but the order of probability is now close to being overwhelming, that the CR diet will extend maximum life span in humans just as it does in all animals species so far tested. We are dealing with the question of “translatability“. What is the probability that a phenomenon observed in animals can be translated to humans? Fertilization, growth, development, and aging are basically much the same across all large species. Nobody doubts that most animals – for example, mice, rats, horses, chimpanzees, and humans – age by similar mechanisms. Any general process that slows the aging in one such species should do so in another. The fact that it induces the same physiologic changes in all species of mammals so far tested further reinforces the likelihood of life extension for humans. Most gerontologists, although perhaps not quite all agree that CR will extend maximum human life span. I am aware, however, that some scientists have adopted a “wait and see” attitude. Of course, if they wait that long and don’t do it themselves, they will not be alive to see. “
Almost 20 years on the Internet a Calorie Restriction Society (CR Society) unites people who voluntary follow the CR life style which comprises a daily intake of between 1300 and 1500 calories. All state that CR bring them a lot of health benefits.
Actually the CR dieting method described by Dr Walford is very similar to our method but has very important differences; our method has the ability to rejuvenate, pushing back the aging process whilst Dr Walford advises just plain caloric restriction which leads to a decrease in the aging process, but it does not to stop the aging for some period of time at all, which is what we do in our CF method.
During the 1970s through the 1990s Dr Walford, together with Dr Richard Weindruch, conducted many decisive studies, which proved that caloric restriction extended lifespan more strongly and efficiently than any other known factor or method. It is very important to note that the quality of life in these calorie-restricted animals and humans was also greatly increased. You can view Dr Walford’s talk about the calorie restriction method here.
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| А. Economo |
Let’s return to the 1990s, after the collapse and disintegration of the Soviet Union, it seemed to be almost impossible to continue scientific research in Russia Science almost died… Thus, Dr Economo decided to move to a very quiet and stable country in central Europe – Hungary. In 1993, Dr Economo established a company in Budapest called the “Anti-Aging Center”, which was the successor of the Moscow Anti-Aging Center. In the middle of the 1990s, the Anti-Aging Center in Budapest started making rapid advances, adapting more and more of the practical aspects of gerontology.
In the early 2000s, the “Anti-Aging Center” started issuing a popular health magazine called “Natural Elixir” (in English) or “Натуральный Эликсир” (in Russian). Different anti-aging aspects were discussed in this magazine. Finally, in connection with the fast development of the Internet, printed versions were replaced by a network of websites. Some examples of those that were started by the Anti-Aging Center are listed here:
