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The Fasting-Derived Longevity Model: A New Framework for Healthy Aging
ProposalGrant
Closes September 25th, 2026$0raised
$12,000minimum funding
$15,000funding goal
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10 daysleft to contribute
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Project summary
The Fasting-Driven Longevity Model (FDLM) challenges the long-standing view that calorie restriction extends longevity. Instead, My model proposes that fasting-induced nutrient deprivation, rather than calorie reduction alone, is the key physiological signal. During prolonged fasting, lower availability of glucose and amino acids reduces insulin exposure and insulin/IGF-1 signaling, activates AMPK, suppresses mTOR, and triggers autophagy and other longevity pathways.
What are this project’s goals? How will you achieve them?
The key question is:
Are the groprotective benefits attributed to calorie restriction actually driven by the duration of daily nutrient deprivation (fasting), and is there a fasting-duration threshold required to engage these pathways in humans?
The primary goal is to develop a testable research framework and grant proposal to examine the Fasting-Derived Longevity Model (FDLM). The proposed research would compare 16- and 18-hour eucaloric time-restricted eating (TRE), without calorie restriction or weight loss, with calorie restriction without fasting intervals. This design would help distinguish the biological effects of fasting from those of calorie restriction.
Preliminary findings from human trials provide important proof-of-concept. Controlled feeding studies have shown that early TRE can improve insulin sensitivity and other cardiometabolic outcomes without weight loss, while four days of 18-h TRE altered 24-hour glucose, ketones, SIRT1 expression, and also the autophagy-related marker LC3A. However, these studies did not compare fasting with calorie restriction, to test whether a fasting-duration threshold exists, or directly assess autophagic flux.
I will synthesize the existing preclinical and human evidence to identify the strongest testable predictions of FDLM and use these findings to develop controlled human study protocols examining whether different fasting durations produce distinct effects on insulin/IGF-1 signaling, AMPK–mTOR signaling, autophagy-related pathways, and insulin sensitivity, independent of calorie restriction and weight loss.
The project will ultimately produce specific hypotheses, experimental designs, biomarker and sampling strategies, and grant proposals for human trials designed to determine whether fasting duration itself is a major biological driver of the pathways commonly associated with calorie restriction and longevity.This work builds on two conceptual models I have been proposing: the Fasting-Derived Longevity Model (FDLM) and the Endocrine Regulation Model (ERM). FDLM focuses on the mechanism by which fasting itself extends longevity, while ERM focuses more broadly on how endocrine regulation may explain weight-loss sustainability through intermittent fasting.
I will achieve these aims by synthesizing evidence from preclinical and clinical studies to develop specific hypotheses that can be tested in future human research.
How will this funding be used?
The funding will provide a three-month research stipend that allows me to work on developing a testable my research program on FDLM. The stipend will cover essential living expenses during a temporary gap between research appointments, allowing me to complete the evidence synthesis, experimental design, and grant protocol.
Who is on your team? What's your track record on similar projects?
I am leading the project independently. I have a PhD Nutrition Scientist and my research centers on intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, metabolic health, and longevity in humans.
I have authored 13 peer-reviewed papers, with more than 320 citations. My work includes human trials on time-restricted eating and its impact on metabolic outcomes.
In 2025, I received a $10,000 pilot research award as Principal Investigator to study immediate effects of mid-day time-restricted eating on CGM-derived glycemic variations in adults with overweight and obesity. The work was supported by The Southern California Center for Chronic Disease Research and Prevention (Funded by The National Institute on Minority Health and Health Disparities, P50MD017344). Moreover, findings were selected for an oral presentation at the American Society for Nutrition’s NUTRITION 2026 meeting.
I have also developed the Fasting-Driven Longevity Model (FDLM) and Endocrine Regulation Model (ERM), which are currently under consideration in high-impact journals.
What are the most likely causes and outcomes if this project fails?
The most likely reason the project could fail is when the available evidence does not support the proposed mechanisms in the FDLM or ERM, .
Additionally, the limited availability of human evidence to determine the fasting duration needed to activate pathways related to longevity is another possibility.
However, the project would still identify the main gaps in the current evidence and produce more specific hypotheses to guide future human trials.
How much money have you raised in the last 12 months, and from where?
I have raised $10,000 through a pilot research award from the USC/Children’s Hospital Los Angeles research program for examining CGM-derived glycemic responses to mid-day time-restricted eating.
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