Engy › Who's who in longevity › Andreas Michalsen
At a glance
- Andreas Michalsen is a German internist and nutrition physician. He holds the chair in clinical naturopathy at the Charité in Berlin and is chief physician of internal medicine and naturopathy at the Immanuel Krankenhaus Berlin.
- He is one of Germany’s best-known researchers on therapeutic fasting, such as multi-day fasts under medical supervision.
- His group has studied fasting and diet in high blood pressure, rheumatic conditions and metabolic syndrome, as well as short-term fasting combined with chemotherapy.
- He also tests other naturopathic methods in scientific trials, such as leeches for knee osteoarthritis, yoga and meditation.
- His books on naturopathy and nutrition became bestsellers in German-speaking countries, and he appears regularly on German television. Parts of naturopathy remain scientifically controversial.
- For longevity, he matters because he studies fasting and plant-based eating within a university hospital.
- Takeaway: if you want to fast for longer than a day, do so under medical supervision, especially if you take medication.
Criticism and nuance
Some criticism of naturopathy
Recent
- Article Andreas Michalsen: Welche Ernährung senkt das Demenzrisiko? Die wichtigsten „Brain foods"
- Study [Recommendations of the German Society for Rheumatology committee for complementary treatment and nutrition on phytotherapy : Supplement on the use of selected phytotherapeutic agents and herbal preparations in rheumatology: extension to include 13 medicinal plants]
- Study Early but not late time-restricted eating improves an actigraphy-estimated sleep quality in women with overweight or obesity: secondary analysis of the crossover ChronoFast trial