UC Davis

Diet and nutrition have been shown to impact dermatological conditions. This has increased attention toward integrative and lifestyle medicine in the management of skin health. Emerging research around fasting diets, specifically the fasting-mimicking diet (FMD), has provided clinical evidence for chronic inflammatory, cardiometabolic, and autoimmune diseases. In this randomized controlled trial, we evaluated the effects of a five-day FMD protocol, administrated once a month for three months, on facial skin parameters, including skin hydration and skin roughness, in a group of 45 healthy women between the ages of 35 to 60 years old over the course of 71 days. The results of the study revealed that the three consecutive monthly cycles of FMD resulted in a significant percentage increase in skin hydration at day 11 (p = 0.00013) and at day 71 (p = 0.02) relative to baseline. The results also demonstrated maintenance of skin texture in the FMD group compared to an increase in skin roughness in the control group (p = 0.032). In addition to skin biophysical properties, self-reported data also demonstrated significant improvement in components of mental states such as happiness (p = 0.003) and confidence (0.039). Overall, these findings provide evidence for the potential use of FMD in improving skin health and related components of psychological well-being.