What The Research Says About Fasting-Mimicking Diet (FMD) & Skin Texture

What we eat—and how we eat—influences our skin health. We know from research, for example, that inflammatory diets can trigger acne and other inflammatory conditions such as eczema or psoriasis. Or we also know that high-sugar consumption may lead to collagen breakdown.

On the other hand, we know that eating an antioxidant-rich diet can help reduce wrinkles and dark spots and support skin hydration. 

Another area of interesting research is all about how fasting can influence the skin. Previously we've discussed that intermittent fasting can improve skin tone, texture, and appearance—which is largely attributed to "autophagy." 

"Fasting not only reboots the gut microbiome, which helps [support a balanced inflammatory response] and improve skin health, but it also stimulates autophagy, our cells' self-cleansing process that breaks down and recycles damaged molecules and cellular organelles, which contributes to cell longevity," board-certified dermatologist Keira Barr, M.D., once shared with mbg.

A randomized control trial published last year in the Journal of Clinical Medicine1 looked at fasting-mimicking dieting (FMD) and its influence on skin health in a group of 45 healthy women between the ages of 35 and 60.

Since previous research looked at the skin benefits of fasting, the aim of this study was to find out if individuals can experience similar benefits without having to fast entirely. 

"Is it possible to have skin health benefits from fasting without actually fasting? We've recently published a study on fasting-mimicking diets and its effects on various skin parameters in a group of healthy women," says naturopathic doctor Jessica Maloh, N.D., who specializes in integrative dermatology and research. 

Maloh was also one of the authors of this study and walked us through the findings in this TikTok. 

"So here, half the participants followed this fasting-mimicking diet for five days once a month for three consecutive months as part of this protocol," she says. "They were given specific dietary items during those five days like soups, teas, crackers, olives, and the others in the study didn't receive any specific diet or dietary items and instead were instructed to just follow their normal eating habits."

And interestingly, FMD has been shown via research to have several whole-body health benefits. For example, research has shown that it can help cognitive health and may reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease2.

Another study found that the diet may reduce cardiometabolic risk factors and may even change biomarkers of biological age3, indicating a slower aging process.

Well, it turns out that FMD was also beneficial for skin health: "The findings suggest that following this fasting-mimicking protocol may help to support skin hydration and skin texture," she says.

"For example, at day 11 those in the treatment group had a significantly greater percent increase in skin hydration relative to the control. And the maintenance of skin texture was found in the fasting group relative to the control, who experienced an increase in skin roughness." 

Not to mention, these women reported improvements to their mental well-being and self-esteem, namely happiness and confidence (and the link between skin and mental health4 is well documented, thanks to the brain-skin connection). 

Eating habits influence skin health—for the worse or better. One diet that's been shown to be beneficial for skin health, texture, hydration, and tone is a fasting-mimicking diet.

FMD is an eating protocol that's aimed to spur autophagy in the skin cells for cellular cleanup and renewal. This way, folks who may not be able to participate in fasting diets can still get some of the benefits.