-
Annual Review of Nutrition Aug 2017The objective of this review is to provide an overview of intermittent fasting regimens, summarize the evidence on the health benefits of intermittent fasting, and... (Review)
Review
The objective of this review is to provide an overview of intermittent fasting regimens, summarize the evidence on the health benefits of intermittent fasting, and discuss physiological mechanisms by which intermittent fasting might lead to improved health outcomes. A MEDLINE search was performed using PubMed and the terms "intermittent fasting," "fasting," "time-restricted feeding," and "food timing." Modified fasting regimens appear to promote weight loss and may improve metabolic health. Several lines of evidence also support the hypothesis that eating patterns that reduce or eliminate nighttime eating and prolong nightly fasting intervals may result in sustained improvements in human health. Intermittent fasting regimens are hypothesized to influence metabolic regulation via effects on (a) circadian biology, (b) the gut microbiome, and (c) modifiable lifestyle behaviors, such as sleep. If proven to be efficacious, these eating regimens offer promising nonpharmacological approaches to improving health at the population level, with multiple public health benefits.
Topics: Animals; Circadian Rhythm; Fasting; Female; Gastrointestinal Microbiome; Humans; Male; Sleep
PubMed: 28715993
DOI: 10.1146/annurev-nutr-071816-064634 -
Disease Markers 2022Fasting is a prevalent approach to weight loss and is a feasible method for treating some diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. Meanwhile, the effects of intermittent... (Review)
Review
Fasting is a prevalent approach to weight loss and is a feasible method for treating some diseases, such as type 2 diabetes. Meanwhile, the effects of intermittent fasting on health, aging, and disease process are hot issues and are of concern by researchers of multiple areas, even the public. This article introduces the effects of fasting on human lipid metabolism, glucose metabolism, protein metabolism, and neuroendocrine metabolism; demonstrates the metabolic conversion caused by fasting; and describes the effects of fasting on human psychological health, the relationship between mood regulation and glucose, and the emotional enhancing effect induced by fasting.
Topics: Age Factors; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 2; Emotional Regulation; Fasting; Glucose; Humans; Lipid Metabolism; Weight Loss
PubMed: 35035610
DOI: 10.1155/2022/5653739 -
Ageing Research Reviews Oct 2017Humans in modern societies typically consume food at least three times daily, while laboratory animals are fed ad libitum. Overconsumption of food with such eating... (Review)
Review
Humans in modern societies typically consume food at least three times daily, while laboratory animals are fed ad libitum. Overconsumption of food with such eating patterns often leads to metabolic morbidities (insulin resistance, excessive accumulation of visceral fat, etc.), particularly when associated with a sedentary lifestyle. Because animals, including humans, evolved in environments where food was relatively scarce, they developed numerous adaptations that enabled them to function at a high level, both physically and cognitively, when in a food-deprived/fasted state. Intermittent fasting (IF) encompasses eating patterns in which individuals go extended time periods (e.g., 16-48h) with little or no energy intake, with intervening periods of normal food intake, on a recurring basis. We use the term periodic fasting (PF) to refer to IF with periods of fasting or fasting mimicking diets lasting from 2 to as many as 21 or more days. In laboratory rats and mice IF and PF have profound beneficial effects on many different indices of health and, importantly, can counteract disease processes and improve functional outcome in experimental models of a wide range of age-related disorders including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancers and neurological disorders such as Alzheimer's disease Parkinson's disease and stroke. Studies of IF (e.g., 60% energy restriction on 2days per week or every other day), PF (e.g., a 5day diet providing 750-1100kcal) and time-restricted feeding (TRF; limiting the daily period of food intake to 8h or less) in normal and overweight human subjects have demonstrated efficacy for weight loss and improvements in multiple health indicators including insulin resistance and reductions in risk factors for cardiovascular disease. The cellular and molecular mechanisms by which IF improves health and counteracts disease processes involve activation of adaptive cellular stress response signaling pathways that enhance mitochondrial health, DNA repair and autophagy. PF also promotes stem cell-based regeneration as well as long-lasting metabolic effects. Randomized controlled clinical trials of IF versus PF and isoenergetic continuous energy restriction in human subjects will be required to establish the efficacy of IF in improving general health, and preventing and managing major diseases of aging.
Topics: Animals; Caloric Restriction; Cardiovascular Diseases; Chronic Disease; Diet; Eating; Energy Intake; Fasting; Feeding Behavior; Healthy Aging; Humans; Insulin Resistance; Obesity; Weight Loss
PubMed: 27810402
DOI: 10.1016/j.arr.2016.10.005 -
Nature Reviews. Cancer Nov 2018The vulnerability of cancer cells to nutrient deprivation and their dependency on specific metabolites are emerging hallmarks of cancer. Fasting or fasting-mimicking... (Review)
Review
The vulnerability of cancer cells to nutrient deprivation and their dependency on specific metabolites are emerging hallmarks of cancer. Fasting or fasting-mimicking diets (FMDs) lead to wide alterations in growth factors and in metabolite levels, generating environments that can reduce the capability of cancer cells to adapt and survive and thus improving the effects of cancer therapies. In addition, fasting or FMDs increase resistance to chemotherapy in normal but not cancer cells and promote regeneration in normal tissues, which could help prevent detrimental and potentially life-threatening side effects of treatments. While fasting is hardly tolerated by patients, both animal and clinical studies show that cycles of low-calorie FMDs are feasible and overall safe. Several clinical trials evaluating the effect of fasting or FMDs on treatment-emergent adverse events and on efficacy outcomes are ongoing. We propose that the combination of FMDs with chemotherapy, immunotherapy or other treatments represents a potentially promising strategy to increase treatment efficacy, prevent resistance acquisition and reduce side effects.
Topics: Diet; Fasting; Humans; Neoplasms
PubMed: 30327499
DOI: 10.1038/s41568-018-0061-0 -
Advanced Science (Weinheim,... Mar 2023Overnutrition is a risk factor for various human diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic disorders, and cancers. Therefore, targeting overnutrition... (Review)
Review
Overnutrition is a risk factor for various human diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic disorders, and cancers. Therefore, targeting overnutrition represents a simple but attractive strategy for the treatment of these increasing public health threats. Fasting as a dietary intervention for combating overnutrition has been extensively studied. Fasting has been practiced for millennia, but only recently have its roles in the molecular clock, gut microbiome, and tissue homeostasis and function emerged. Fasting can slow aging in most species and protect against various human diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic disorders, and cancers. These centuried and unfading adventures and explorations suggest that fasting has the potential to delay aging and help prevent and treat diseases while minimizing side effects caused by chronic dietary interventions. In this review, recent animal and human studies concerning the role and underlying mechanism of fasting in physiology and pathology are summarized, the therapeutic potential of fasting is highlighted, and the combination of pharmacological intervention and fasting is discussed as a new treatment regimen for human diseases.
Topics: Animals; Humans; Fasting; Aging; Overnutrition; Neoplasms; Neurodegenerative Diseases
PubMed: 36737846
DOI: 10.1002/advs.202204487 -
Nature Reviews. Neuroscience Feb 2018During evolution, individuals whose brains and bodies functioned well in a fasted state were successful in acquiring food, enabling their survival and reproduction. With... (Review)
Review
During evolution, individuals whose brains and bodies functioned well in a fasted state were successful in acquiring food, enabling their survival and reproduction. With fasting and extended exercise, liver glycogen stores are depleted and ketones are produced from adipose-cell-derived fatty acids. This metabolic switch in cellular fuel source is accompanied by cellular and molecular adaptations of neural networks in the brain that enhance their functionality and bolster their resistance to stress, injury and disease. Here, we consider how intermittent metabolic switching, repeating cycles of a metabolic challenge that induces ketosis (fasting and/or exercise) followed by a recovery period (eating, resting and sleeping), may optimize brain function and resilience throughout the lifespan, with a focus on the neuronal circuits involved in cognition and mood. Such metabolic switching impacts multiple signalling pathways that promote neuroplasticity and resistance of the brain to injury and disease.
Topics: Animals; Brain; Fasting; Humans; Neuronal Plasticity
PubMed: 29321682
DOI: 10.1038/nrn.2017.156 -
Nutrients May 2021Fasting potentials are the most interesting topics in the Nutritional Era. Fasting consists of the catabolism of lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates to maintain blood...
Fasting potentials are the most interesting topics in the Nutritional Era. Fasting consists of the catabolism of lipids, proteins, and carbohydrates to maintain blood glucose levels in a normal range. The action mechanisms of fasting were firstly understood in minor organisms and later in humans. Nutritional interventions of caloric restriction could attenuate age-associated epigenetic alterations and could have a protective effect against cellular alterations, promoting longevity and health span. While most fasting studies point out the weight and fat mass decreases, it is important to define specific guidelines for fasting and non-fasting days to enhance adherence, minimize the dropout rates of the interventions, and maximize body composition improvement. Although the panorama of evidence on fasting and caloric restriction is wide, there is a lack of a safe fasting protocol to guide physicians in its prescription. The main goal is to identify a how to use guide, a major posology of fasting, inserted within a huge dietetic personalized strategy leading to an optimal and healthy nutritional status.
Topics: Body Composition; Caloric Restriction; Dietetics; Fasting; Humans; Longevity; Practice Guidelines as Topic
PubMed: 34067055
DOI: 10.3390/nu13051570 -
Journal of Diabetes Research 2023Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating pattern in which individuals go extended periods with little or no energy intake after consuming regular food in intervening... (Review)
Review
Intermittent fasting (IF) is an eating pattern in which individuals go extended periods with little or no energy intake after consuming regular food in intervening periods. IF has several health-promoting effects. It can effectively reduce weight, fasting insulin levels, and blood glucose levels. It can also increase the antitumor activity of medicines and cause improvement in the case of neurological diseases, such as memory deficit, to achieve enhanced metabolic function and prolonged longevity. Additionally, IF activates several biological pathways to induce autophagy, encourages cell renewal, prevents cancer cells from multiplying and spreading, and delays senescence. However, IF has specific adverse effects and limitations when it comes to people of a particular age and gender. Hence, a more systematic study on the health-promoting effects and safety of IF is needed. This article reviewed the research on the health-promoting effects of IF, providing a theoretical basis, direction for subsequent basic research, and information related to the clinical application of IF.
Topics: Humans; Intermittent Fasting; Fasting; Feeding Behavior; Energy Intake; Diet, Reducing
PubMed: 36911497
DOI: 10.1155/2023/4038546 -
Physiological Reviews Oct 2022Time-restricted eating (TRE) is a dietary intervention that limits food consumption to a specific time window each day. The effect of TRE on body weight and... (Review)
Review
Time-restricted eating (TRE) is a dietary intervention that limits food consumption to a specific time window each day. The effect of TRE on body weight and physiological functions has been extensively studied in rodent models, which have shown considerable therapeutic effects of TRE and important interactions among time of eating, circadian biology, and metabolic homeostasis. In contrast, it is difficult to make firm conclusions regarding the effect of TRE in people because of the heterogeneity in results, TRE regimens, and study populations. In this review, we ) provide a background of the history of meal consumption in people and the normal physiology of eating and fasting; ) discuss the interaction between circadian molecular metabolism and TRE; ) integrate the results of preclinical and clinical studies that evaluated the effects of TRE on body weight and physiological functions; ) summarize other time-related dietary interventions that have been studied in people; and ) identify current gaps in knowledge and provide a framework for future research directions.
Topics: Body Weight; Circadian Rhythm; Eating; Fasting; Humans
PubMed: 35834774
DOI: 10.1152/physrev.00006.2022 -
Recent Results in Cancer Research.... 2016Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the USA and among the leading major diseases in the world. It is anticipated to continue to increase because of the growth... (Review)
Review
Cancer is the second leading cause of death in the USA and among the leading major diseases in the world. It is anticipated to continue to increase because of the growth of the aging population and prevalence of risk factors such as obesity, smoking, and/or poor dietary habits. Cancer treatment has remained relatively similar during the past 30 years with chemotherapy and/or radiotherapy in combination with surgery remaining the standard therapies although novel therapies are slowly replacing or complementing the standard ones. According to the American Cancer Society, the dietary recommendation for cancer patients receiving chemotherapy is to increase calorie and protein intake. In addition, there are no clear guidelines on the type of nutrition that could have a major impact on cancer incidence. Yet, various forms of reduced caloric intake such as calorie restriction (CR) or fasting demonstrate a wide range of beneficial effects able to help prevent malignancies and increase the efficacy of cancer therapies. Whereas chronic CR provides both beneficial and detrimental effects as well as major compliance challenges, periodic fasting (PF), fasting-mimicking diets (FMDs), and dietary restriction (DR) without a reduction in calories are emerging as interventions with the potential to be widely used to prevent and treat cancer. Here, we review preclinical and preliminary clinical studies on dietary restriction and fasting and their role in inducing cellular protection and chemotherapy resistance.
Topics: Caloric Restriction; Diet; Fasting; Humans; Neoplasms; United States
PubMed: 27557543
DOI: 10.1007/978-3-319-42118-6_12