How much does eating well matter to live a healthy life and enjoy a healthy old age? It is not a simple question to answer because, as pointed out by Valter Longo – professor of bio-gerontology and director of the Institute on Longevity at USC (University of Southern California) – Davis School of Gerontology –  we should specify not only what we eat, but also how much of this food should be eaten and when.

The latest study conducted by his center, one of the most important in the fields of aging and age-related diseases, found that five days a month of a low-calorie diet called fast-mimicking helps the body to lower cholesterol levels, with consequent benefits for the heart and for health as a whole.