– Early Life and Education:
– Born in Genoa, Italy to Calabrian parents
– Moved to Chicago as a teenager to pursue a career as a rock guitarist
– Joined the United States Army Reserve to pay for college
– Attended University of North Texas College of Music and switched focus to nutrition and longevity
– Completed PhD work at UCLA studying antioxidant enzymes and anti-aging genes
– Career:
– Faculty member at USC Davis School of Gerontology since 1997
– Director of USC Longevity Institute
– Launched USC Davis School of Gerontology’s first study-abroad program in Italy
– Profiled on “Through the Wormhole with Morgan Freeman” in 2011
– Discussed fasting research in BBC documentary “Eat, Fast, and Live Longer” in 2012
– Longevity Diet:
– Promotes mostly plant-based diet with fish
– Advocates for time-restricted eating with 11-12 hour daily eating windows
– Focuses on fasting-mimicking diet (FMD) for longevity
– Developed ProLon fasting-mimicking diet through L-Nutra technology company
– FMD is a low-calorie, low-protein, moderate-carb, moderate-fat plant-based diet
– Honors:
– Received the Nathan Shock Lecture Award from the National Institute on Aging, NIH in 2010
– Selected Publications:
– Valter Longo bibliography at National Library of Medicine
– Published “The Longevity Diet” in 2018
– Published “La dieta della longevità” in 2016
– Notable works on stem cell activation, regeneration, and aging
– Contributions to research on nutrition and genetics of aging
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.
Valter D. Longo | |
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Born | 1967 (age 56–57) |
Nationality | American |
Alma mater | University of California, Los Angeles |
Known for | The Longevity Diet (2018) The Fasting-Mimicking Diet (FMD). |
Scientific career | |
Fields | Cell biology Biogerontology |
Institutions | USC Davis School of Gerontology |
Doctoral advisor | Joan Valentine |