Longevity: healthy aging – Healthspan instead of just years of life

The essentials at a glance

• Today, longevity primarily means a long healthy lifespan (healthspan), not merely reaching an older age.
• Research into calorie restriction, fasting, and metabolic switching is among the most well-studied approaches to healthy aging.
• A central cellular mechanism is autophagy, or cellular recycling, for the discovery of which Yoshinori Ohsumi received the Nobel Prize in 2016.
• At the Naturhotel Tannerhof, longevity is built on a historical foundation: therapeutic fasting according to Buchinger and the "Schlanke Tanne" low-carb diet, our in-house low-carb nutritional program.
• Looking for a hotel in Germany that offers a 7-day longevity program with medical consultations and bioimpedance analysis? Discover Tannerhof's Longevity retreat.

What longevity means today

Longevity may be a modern buzzword, but the ambition behind it is timeless. While it literally means long life, today it signifies something far more specific: not simply adding more years, but ensuring as many healthy years as possible. Scientific literature therefore distinguishes between lifespan and healthspan. Healthy ageing captures this very difference—the years in which a person remains agile, mentally sharp, and resilient.

This shifts the focus away from simply counting years to enriching their quality. It centers on metabolic and cardiovascular health, muscles and bones, restorative sleep, movement, mindful nutrition, and deep rest. At Naturhotel Tannerhof, this is not a passing trend, but a time-honored philosophy expressed in contemporary terms. If you would like to explore the medical framework and specific offerings, discover the Longevity at Tannerhof program, embedded within our broader range of health programs.

One simple truth sums up our philosophy: What is known as longevity today, we have been practicing for 120 years. Founded in 1905, Tannerhof has always embraced wholesome alpine living, nourishing cuisine, mindful movement, and continuous medical guidance—My hideaway in the mountains has never been just a retreat, but consistently a sanctuary for health and vitality.

The research: fasting, calorie restriction, and healthspan

Many promises circulate around longevity. One area of research is particularly robust: the effect of calorie restriction and fasting on the metabolism. These studies do not point toward miracles, but toward a well-defined biological principle.

A widely cited review by Rafael de Cabo and Mark Mattson, published in 2019 in the New England Journal of Medicine under the title Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Health, Aging, and Disease, describes metabolic switching: when carbohydrate stores are depleted, the body shifts from burning glucose to utilizing fatty acids and ketone bodies. According to the review, animal and human studies indicate that this metabolic switch benefits metabolism, regulates inflammation, and strengthens cellular stress resistance—vital factors intrinsically linked to the aging process.

A second study provides insights for everyday life. In 2017, Min Wei, Valter Longo, and colleagues published research in Science Translational Medicine examining a periodic fasting-mimicking diet. In a trial with approximately one hundred participants, several cycles led to notable improvements in risk factors associated with aging, diabetes, cardiovascular conditions, and other lifestyle-related illnesses. Here, too, the focus is on reducing risk factors and ensuring tolerability, rather than offering a magic cure.

For therapeutic fasting in the strict sense, the guidelines of the Medical Association for Therapeutic Fasting and Nutrition (ÄGHE) serve as the professional basis. These guidelines for fasting therapy, published in 2002 and updated in 2013, describe methodology, patient selection, contraindications, and medical supervision. Further studies on fasting therapy can be viewed at the ÄGHE. Whether fasting is appropriate in an individual case is always a matter for medical clarification at the Tannerhof.

Autophagy: cellular recycling

Behind much of what is said about fasting and healthy aging lies a single cellular mechanism: autophagy. The word means "self-eating" of the cell. It refers to a cleaning and recycling process in which the cell breaks down, utilizes, and reorganizes its own components.

The profound significance of this process was recognized by the 2016 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, awarded to Yoshinori Ohsumi for his discoveries of mechanisms for autophagy. Put simply: the body’s cellular recycling mechanisms are activated, initiating a deep internal cleanse—across cells, blood vessels, connective tissues, the gut, brain, liver, and kidneys.

It is important to distinguish between two levels that occur simultaneously during fasting but are not the same thing. One level is fat burning, the metabolic shift to using one's own reserves. The other is autophagy, the cellular cleanup. Both processes run in parallel and describe different mechanisms. At Tannerhof, these connections are explained during medical consultations, never as a blanket promise.

The historical longevity foundation at Tannerhof

Before longevity became a buzzword, it was already being practiced at Tannerhof. Therapeutic fasting according to Buchinger was introduced to the house by the second generation of the family, Johannes von Mengershausen, and has been medically supervised for three generations of doctors—a total of over 70 years. Therapeutic fasting is the conscious, time-limited abstinence from solid food and stimulants—it is not a crash diet or a primary weight-loss method, but a therapeutic approach, a cleansing on many levels, and an encounter with oneself.

This foundational fasting concept serves as the historical link to modern longevity research. The metabolic shift and autophagy highlighted in these studies are the very essence of a therapeutic fasting week. At Tannerhof, therapeutic fasting is always medically supervised and anchored in our Therapeutic Fasting & Schlanke Tanne Hub. Otto Buchinger’s enduring adage, "Fasting awakens the inner physician," continues to guide this philosophy today.

The second pillar is everyday nutrition. Schlanke Tanne Low Carb, our proprietary low-carb concept, carries the benefits of fasting into daily life: rich in protein, fresh vegetables, and healthy fats, it aims to transform eating habits without sacrificing the joy of food. Never conceived as a restrictive diet, it thrives when true culinary pleasure and zest for life take center stage over deprivation. Following an intensive fast, you can seamlessly maintain your health benefits with Schlanke Tanne or intermittent fasting—turning a single week into a sustainable lifestyle.

How Tannerhof understands longevity today

Today, Tannerhof builds on this historical foundation with specialized medical diagnostics and therapies. Here, longevity is not a single quick fix, but a harmonized interplay of assessment, understanding, and personal care. Your journey begins with a thorough medical examination at our private on-site practice, guided by the ethos of health without dogma—an integrative blend of naturopathy and conventional medicine.

Comprehensive diagnostics provide clear guidance. This begins with a detailed medical history and examination using bioelectrical impedance analysis (BIA) to assess body composition across water, muscle, and body fat. Further evaluations include resting and exercise ECGs, 24-hour blood pressure monitoring with sleep screening, ultrasounds of the heart, abdomen, thyroid, and carotid arteries, alongside pulmonary function testing and a customizable laboratory panel. For advanced diagnostic needs, we work in close partnership with the Agatharied Academic Teaching Hospital.

The diagnostics are followed by therapies, which are intentionally broad in scope. Medical treatments include:

• IHHT Altitude Training (Intermittent Hypoxic-Hyperoxic Therapy) – alternating intervals of oxygen-reduced and oxygen-rich air that stimulate mitochondrial regeneration, enhance immune function and stress resilience, and boost fat metabolism.
• Major Autohemotherapy with Ozone – an energized form of oxygen that delivers anti-inflammatory and immune-boosting benefits while supporting mitochondrial energy production; administered only following a personal medical consultation.
• Vitamin and Mineral Infusions – tailored formulations delivered intravenously for direct, optimal cellular nourishment.

In addition, our extensive range of therapeutic treatments includes medicinal body wraps and compresses, such as liver-supporting hay flower wraps, traditional hydrotherapy including Kneipp alternating affusions, and targeted bodywork like detoxifying König oil massages and acidosis massages. We also offer movement and breathwork practices like yoga, Feldenkrais, and Tai Chi. To nurture mental well-being, we provide psychotherapeutic coaching, nature coaching, executive communication coaching, and art therapy. Explore our complete selection on the Treatments & Therapies page.

The environment and medical supervision are equally important. Movement in the mountains, simple food, relaxation, and the Tannerhof Spa—with its indoor pool, historic sauna cabin, and the "BadeHarpfe" with its 25-meter outdoor natural pool offering views between the Wendelstein and Sonnwendjoch mountains—are as much a natural part of healthy aging at Tannerhof as any diagnostic test.

Which hotel in Germany offers a 7-day longevity program?

This question can be answered specifically: The Naturhotel Tannerhof in Bayrischzell, Upper Bavaria, offers a seven-night longevity program with medical consultation and bioimpedance measurement. The program combines diagnostics, medical supervision, and therapies into one cohesive week.

The length of your stay is selected prior to arrival, either online or through our reservations team. Your initial medical consultation upon arrival ensures that every aspect of the program is tailored to your personal health goals. To view the complete retreat details and book online, explore our Longevity at Tannerhof program.

What matters beyond medicine

Healthy aging is more than just diagnostics and therapy. The most effective levers have long been known and align with what has defined Tannerhof for over 120 years: exercise, simple and high-quality nutrition, recovery, and a break from excess.

• Mindful Movement in balanced measure—moderate aerobic endurance and strength training, complemented by guided hikes, yoga, and Feldenkrais.
• Nourishing Cuisine focused on quality over excess—featuring our Schlanke Tanne Low Carb approach, Slow Food principles, and the Planetary Health Diet as our culinary foundation.
• Rest & Recovery as an essential pillar—finding calm, embracing inner silence, enjoying restorative sleep, and balancing healthy stimulation with deep relaxation.
• A turning point in your year – a compact fast serves as a conscious reset, often bringing new clarity to everyday life long after.

None of this is flashy, and that is precisely the Tannerhof philosophy. Return to what matters – healthy aging is not about chasing more, but about nurturing the essentials, year after year.

Discover Longevity at Tannerhof

At Naturhotel Tannerhof, healthy aging is not a passing trend, but a time-honored practice: medically supervised, centered around therapeutic fasting and "Schlanke Tanne" low carb, and nestled in Bayrischzell between alpine meadows, mountain streams, and views of the Wendelstein. To explore the full details and book online, discover our Longevity retreat, browse the overview of Health Programs, or visit the page on our Treatments & Therapies.