Episode 549: Dr. Valter Longo: What 30 Years of Longevity & Fasting Study Reveals About The GLP-1 Trend

Habits and Hustle

Jen Cohen

Entrepreneurship, Education, Self-improvement, Health & Fitness, Business

4.5 • 818 Ratings

🗓️ 28 April 2026

⏱️ 104 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

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Summary

GLP-1s are the fastest growing drug trend in health right now. But a 30-year fasting study says there's something every user needs to know before their next dose. Dr. Valter Longo has spent 30 years studying aging and longevity at USC, running over 40 clinical trials on what actually makes people live longer and healthier. What he found challenges almost everything the wellness industry is pushing right now, from 16-hour fasting windows to high-protein diets to GLP-1 drugs. In this episode of Habits and Hustle, Dr. Longo breaks down the science behind the Fasting Mimicking Diet (FMD), why 12 hours of fasting beats 16, and what centenarians around the world actually eat. He also shares his latest research on cancer, Alzheimer's, and why your body already has the tools to heal itself if you stop getting in its way. It's time to ask the right questions about the hottest longevity trends that are costing people more than helping them. What's Discussed: (2:01) Who is Dr. Longo and the training behind his research. (3:18) The hypothesis behind why we should be fasting differently. (5:39) What a Fasting Mimicking Diet actually contains and why. (7:27) The difference between the longevity diet and the FMD. (8:30) Why 12 hours of fasting beats 16 every time. (11:18) The hidden risks of skipping breakfast nobody talks about. (15:47) How the FMD resets your body's locked-in weight. (21:12) How the "recipe" behind the FMD was built over 20 years. (29:51) Why the cancer, Alzheimer's, and diabetes versions of FMD are all different. (35:11) The trial showing nearly double survival rates in cancer patients. (38:04) Dr. Longo’s real take on protein and why less may mean longer life. (51:24) How often you should actually do the FMD. (53:08) What the research says about fasting and women. (56:40) Dr. Longo’s honest breakdown of GLP-1 risks and side effects. (1:16:19) Findings beyond fasting that slow aging. (1:23:21) The four things the FMD triggers that nothing else does. (1:36:31) Why nutrition beats exercise for longevity and why that's not the full story. Thank you to my sponsors!Kion: Visit getkion.com/habits for 20% off. AirDoctor: Head to AirDoctorPro.com and use promo code HUSTLE to get up to $300 off today! AirDoctor comes with a 30-day money back guarantee, plus a 3-year warranty (an $84 value) FREE! AX3®: Visit www.AX3.life to get a 20% discount on your first order with promo code HUSTLE at checkout. Magic Mind: Head over to www.magicmind.com/jen and use code JEN at checkout. Find more from Jen Cohen: Website: www.jennifercohen.com Instagram: @therealjencohen Books: www.jennifercohen.com/books Speaking: www.jennifercohen.com/speaking-engagements Find more from Dr. Valter Longo: Website: https://valterlongo.com/ Instagram: @prof_valterlongo Facebook: Prof. Valter Longo YouTube: @Prof.ValterLongo Fasting Cancer Book: www.valterlongo.com/professor-longos-new-book-fasting-cancer/ Longevity Diet Book: www.valterlongo.com/the-longevity-diet/ The Weight of Longevity Book (Italian): www.amazon.it/ Fasting and the Longevity Revolution Documentary: www.fastingandthelongevityrevolution.com/ Dr. Longo’s Foundations: US: www.createcures.org/ Italy: www.fondazionevalterlongo.org/en/

Transcript

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0:00.0	Hi, guys. It's Tony Robbins. You're listening to Habits and Hustle. Crush it.
0:09.2	Welcome to Happens and Hustle with me, Jen Cohen, where we break down the mindsets and strategies behind extraordinary lives.
0:16.6	Today, I'm joined by Walter Longo, one of the world's leading voices in longevity science.
0:22.4	He's a biochemist, director of the USC longevity institute and the creator of the fasting,
0:28.6	mimicking diet, backed by over 40 clinical trials. For more than 30 years, he studied what actually
0:35.2	helps people live longer and healthier, not trends,
0:39.4	not hype, but what the science consistently proves. And what he's found challenges a lot of
0:45.1	what you're hearing right now, from intermittent fasting to high protein diets to GLP1 drugs.
0:51.2	In this episode, we break down what really works, what doesn't, and the simple science-backed approach
0:57.9	your body is designed to respond to.
1:00.3	He also shares how he lives himself, no shortcuts and no extremes.
1:05.0	This one will change how you think about aging and your body's ability to heal.
1:09.5	So let's get into it.
1:18.0	We today have a very special guest on Habits and Hustle. We have someone that I've been
1:22.6	wanting to have on the podcast for probably like three or so years. I've heard
1:27.0	exceptional things about him.
1:29.8	And I'm sure you guys have already heard of him. His name is Dr. Walter Longo. He is a doctor.
1:35.3	And he's going to actually, you know, before I'm not even going to tell you. He's going to tell
1:38.3	you himself. Dr. Longo, what kind of doctor would you say you are? You obviously do a lot of
1:43.0	longevity, cancer research. Right. Yeah. So I have a PhD in biochemistry from UCLA next door here,
1:49.6	and an undergraduate degree in biochemistry, and it was called Post-TAC in Neurobiology. So it's a
1:58.0	training that you do after the PhD in neurobiology.
	...

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