How Longevity Expert Valter Longo Plans to Live to 120

The musician turned scientist has translated his intermittent fasting research into a lifestyle

There are many ways to live a healthy life. The Health Diaries is a weekly series about the habits that keep notable people living well.

Intermittent fasting is one of the hottest fields in longevity research, and Valter Longo, PhD, author of The Longevity Diet and director of the University of Southern California’s Longevity Institute, deserves much of the credit. Several studies, including Longo’s, have linked calorie restriction to a lower risk of disease, better brain function, and, yes, a potentially longer life. The Italian gerontologist has been dubbed the “fasting evangelist” after he helped create a so-called fasting-mimicking diet based on his research.

The method involves eating a low-protein, plant-based diet with a five-day fasting sequence. Longo has also created a corresponding meal program he calls ProLon, short for “pro-longevity,” which his research has linked to changes in biomarkers associated with aging, inflammation, cancer, and diabetes. (Longo says he donates the revenue from ProLon to charity.)

I wake up at 7 a.m. every day. And every other day, I start with a workout. I do about 40 minutes on…