Mizuki Nakano, a former professor at the University of Tokyo, in Japan, has been consuming only fruit for the last eight years, even shunning water and relying on fruit juices for hydration. He recently came on a Japanese TV show to say that his fruit-only diet has caused his body to somehow convert nitrogen in the air into the protein it needs.

In September of 2009, Mizuki Nakano decided to see what would happen to his body if he consumed nothing but fruit all day, every day. Even back then, the scientific consensus was that a balanced diet that contained enough protein, fat and carbohydrates was the best way to go, and that relying solely on fruits for nutrition would deprive the body of needed nutrients and potentially cause serious health problems. But Nakano noticed that there was no scientific research on the long-term effects of eating only fruits, so he started an experiment with himself as the guinea pig.

Photo: Twitter

The switch to an all-fruit diet didn’t happen over night. Instead, the former university professor gradually increased his fruit intake to the point where he consumed only fruits, and even eliminated water from his diet, relying instead on fruit juices for hydration. He started documenting his diet on his Ameblo blog and eventually word of his unusual experiment reached Japanese media.

In 2015, Nakano was invited on the popular variety show Matsuko’s Unknown World, where talked about his experience and the health benefits of eating fruits. His appearance was much talked about online, at the time, but as stopped making TV appearances, there was a rumor that the former professor had died of undernourishment.  To some, that just made sense, since he couldn’t get protein or vitamin B12 out of fruit.

However, Mizuki Nakano recently made his return on Matsuko’s Unknown World, both to dispel rumors that he had died and to share a startling and fascinating discovery with the world. Not only has he been thriving on his all-fruit diet, but he claims to have evolved into a superhuman.

Photo: Armineaghayan/Wikimedia Commons

According to SoraNews24, Nakano told the TV show host that the complete lack of protein in his diet, combined with long-term fruit consumption have caused a special type of bacteria to grow in his body, which are apparently capable of converting nitrogen in the air into much-needed protein. The fruit lover added that the researchers who studied him were stunned by this discovery.

At this point, Mizuki Nakano’s claims are purely anecdotal, and there is no proof that any researchers have even studied him, let alone found some super bacteria in his body. However, as SoraNews24 emphasizes, the lack of scientific research into a long-term, fruit-only diet makes it difficult to flat out write his claims as bogus.

The dangers of protein deficiency, on the other hand, are well documented, so until someone conforms that Nakano’s diet really has created super bacteria that can convert thin air into proteins, I would advise against following in his footsteps. But feel free to check out his blog and Twitter page for some nice fruit recipes.