Nutrition & DietValter Longo Warns Peptides and High IGF-1 Are Speeding Up Aging
Dr. Valter Longo, Director of the USC Longevity Institute, joins The Proof podcast to challenge the growing enthusiasm around growth-hormone-releasing peptides and GLP-1 drugs as longevity tools. Drawing on decades of research spanning yeast, mice, and humans, Longo argues that higher IGF-1 and growth hormone levels are consistently associated with accelerated aging and disease risk, not extended healthspan. He outlines an optimal IGF-1 range of 120 to 160 ng/mL achievable through dietary means rather than peptide supplementation. He also addresses GLP-1 medications, citing a 92 percent dropout rate and unfavorable body composition changes over three to four years. The Fasting-Mimicking Diet, tested across more than 47 clinical trials, is presented as a more evidence-based alternative with demonstrated biological age reduction after just three cycles.
