May 31, 20244 min read

The Simplest Dry Fasting Protocol in the World (Science Backed)

By Yannick Wolfe

The reason I call this the simplest science-backed dry fasting protocol in the world is because it's easy to follow and one of the very few actual published research studies done on dry fasting. It's very simple and has been demonstrated to be safe and effective for all participants. The average age of the dry fasters was 46 with the oldest participant being 66. If you're new to dry fasting or even a veteran of the practice and want a no-fluff, no bs, simple protocol – look no further.

Anthropometric, hemodynamic, metabolic, and renal responses during 5 days of food and water deprivation - PubMed
The intervention of 5 FWD days in 10 healthy adults was found to be safe, decreased weight and all measured circumferences, and improved renal function considerably.
PubMedIoannis A Papagiannopoulos

The Protocol

The 5-Day Dry Fast Protocol: Step-by-Step A numbered ladder showing the research-backed 5-day dry fasting protocol. Day 0: habitual nutrition the day before. Days 1 through 5: complete food and water deprivation. Refeed day 1 starts with small sips of juice only, no salt. Refeed day 2 adds soft fresh fruit and olive oil, chewing each bite at least 20 times, still no salt. Based on Papagiannopoulos et al., all 10 participants remained safe. STUDY-BACKED PROTOCOL The 5-Day Dry Fast: What the Research Used 0 Day Before: Habitual Nutrition Eat normally. No aggressive prep required for healthy participants. COMPLETE FAST (NO FOOD, NO WATER) 1 Day 1: Fast begins, hunger fades as ketosis starts 2 Day 2: Autophagy accelerates, glycogen depleted 3 Day 3: Oxidative stress peaks, then repair begins 4 Day 4: Growth hormone surges, metabolic water rises 5 Day 5: Complete. All 10 study participants safe. R1 Refeed Day 1: Juice only, sipped by teaspoon No salt. No solid food. Let digestion wake up gently. R2 Refeed Day 2: Fresh fruit + olive oil introduced Chew every bite at least 20 times. Still no salt. Based on Papagiannopoulos et al., 5-day food and water deprivation study (n=10, avg age 46). dryfastingclub.com

This is ripped directly from the study. It's self-explanatory.

What to keep in mind?

Refeed Rules from the Study: What to Keep in Mind Six key rules drawn from the study protocol for breaking a 5-day dry fast. Drink slowly using a teaspoon to avoid binging. Chew solid food at least 20 times. Avoid salt for the first 3 days. Keep water around 1.5 litres per day since juice and fruit provide hydration. Introduce olive oil near the end of day 2. Use fresh high-water-content fruit, not dried fruit. FROM THE STUDY 6 Refeed Rules That Came With the Protocol Drink slowly Use a teaspoon to sip juice. Prevents binging on re-introduced fluids. Chew 20 times Saliva starts digestion. The gut is asleep after a dry fast. Wake it slowly. No salt for 3 days Sodium is withheld for the first 3 refeed days. Reintroduce it gradually. Water: ~1.5L/day Juice and fresh fruit already provide water. Do not drink past that. Fat returns on day 2 Olive oil is introduced near the end of refeed day 2. Not before. Fresh fruit only Choose high-water- content varieties. Never dried fruit. The logic behind the rules A dry fast shuts down the entire digestive system. Saliva, stomach acid, bile, and pancreatic enzymes all need time to restart. These rules prevent overwhelming a system that is waking up from scratch. Rules extracted from Papagiannopoulos et al. study protocol. dryfastingclub.com
  • This protocol assumes habitual nutrition. What is that? We can assume that means a generic whole foods diet, without the absurd amounts of food recognized as "normal" in North America.
  • This protocol does not account for people coming from a high-fat low-carb diet, nor does it account for people coming from a high-carb low-fat diet, although if I were to take a guess, I'd assume the diet leaned toward HCLF.
  • Slow drinking to avoid binging by using a teaspoon (I recommend this when you break your fasts with water too).
  • When eating solid food, it is chewed at least 20 times. We see these recommendations all the time when it comes to breaking fasts. Why? Because our saliva is the first step in the digestive system. A dry fast is the most aggressive fast. It's called a complete fast for a reason. The entire digestive system goes to sleep, and when it awakens, it takes some time for it to rev back up. Saliva includes amylase to break down carbohydrates and lingual lipase for fat. It's important to use this to your advantage to lower digestive distress during the refeed.
  • Water is pretty limited in the refeed since you are already getting it from juice and fruit, but if we had to put a number on it, it's around 1.5L per day - which goes against the drink till satiation idea. If you are being very active, this number may vary, but you are not encouraged to do heavy exercise during the refeed unless you were doing very short fasts.
  • Salt is being avoided for the first 3 days.
  • Fat, in the form of olive oil, comes near the end of day 2.
  • The participants only dry fast for Easter once a year, so the idea of refeeding for a minimum of 2x the length of the fast is still highly recommended, if not longer.
  • The juice plays into the idea of using Kompote like in Filonov refeeds, just in very small amounts. Kompote should be less sweet than the average fruit juice that you buy at the supermarket.
  • Fruit should be fresh fruit and not dried. I would prefer ones high in water content.
  • There was no preparation required for the participants, and it seems that their tradition does not include a prep. It would make sense to eat easier-to-digest foods for at least a day before the fast, and you can always use longer dry fast strategies like magnesium citrate flushes. However these were healthy individuals, so if you suffer with digestive disorders or dysfunctional gut motility, then you should take the prep a little more seriously.
💡If you follow my work you'll notice that I talk about the pancreas a lot and with it a renewed focus on insulin resistance. We know that the pancreas does not work optimally for most people hence insulin resistance and downstream effects. Most of my approaches try to target this. A recent Chinese experiment reversed type 2 diabetes by injecting a patient with a new form of stem cell therapy targeted at the pancreas. This is very promising and also shows why mechanisms like stem cell regeneration from a dry fast work. But remember, it only works if you refeed correctly and allow the process to restart gradually and without stress. Binge-ing can have an adverse effect on the pancreas. Sometimes it can take multiple fasts to achieve the level of stem cell regeneration your organs need, but the refeed is still the most important part.
Stem cell therapy cures man with type 2 diabetes, Chinese study claims
A man has been cured of type 2 diabetes for the first…
DiabetesConor Seery
💡My most aggressive and up-to-date protocol for chronic illness is called the Scorch Protocol. Check it out.

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