The fasting-mimicking diet (FMD), an emerging cyclic low-calorie dietary intervention strategy, has garnered significant attention in the field of tumor therapy with its ability to remodelthe body's metabolic and immune microenvironment. Studies have shown that FMD not only extends the lifespan and reduces the incidence of cancer and other diseases in healthy individuals, but also enhances the protective effects on normal cells. Furthermore, FMD increases the sensitivity of tumor cells to multiple therapeutic treatments. FMD activates the protective pathways of normal cells by lowering the levels of blood glucose, insulin, and insulin-like growth factor-1, while it induces differential stress sensitization of tumor cells, thereby enhancing the sensitivity of cancer cells to tumor therapy and providing new targets for individualized therapy. Herein, we provide a brief overview of the fundamental concept of FMD, the underlying mechanisms, and its potential application in cancer treatment, highlighting the synergistic effects of FMD applied in combination with conventional cancer therapies, such as chemotherapy and immunotherapy. Moreover, the challenges encountered in translating FMD into clinical practice are discussed, along with the promising future applications of this dietary regimen.
Liu et al. (2025) studied this question.