A 21-day Daniel fast with or without krill oil supplementation improves anthropometric parameters and the cardiometabolic profile in men and women

Abstract

BackgroundThe Daniel Fast is a vegan diet that prohibits the consumption of animal products, refined foods, white flour, preservatives, additives, sweeteners, flavorings, caffeine, and alcohol. Following this dietary plan for 21 days has been demonstrated to improve blood pressure, LDL-C, and certain markers of oxidative stress, but it has also been shown to lower HDL-C. Krill oil supplementation has been shown to increase HDL-C.MethodsWe investigated the effects of following a Daniel Fast dietary plan with either krill oil supplementation (2 g/day) or placebo supplementation (coconut oil; 2 g/day) for 21 days. The subjects in this study (12 men and 27 women) were heterogeneous with respect to body mass index (BMI) (normal weight, overweight, and obese), blood lipids (normolipidemic and hyperlipidemic), blood glucose (normal fasting glucose, impaired fasting glucose, and type 2 diabetic), and blood pressure (normotensive and hypertensive).ResultsKrill oil supplementation had no effect on any outcome measure (all p > 0.05), and so the data from the krill oil group and the placebo group were collapsed and analyzed to examine the effects of following a 21-day Daniel Fast. Significant reductions were observed in LDL-C (100.6 ± 4.3 mg/dL vs. 80.0 ± 3.7 mg/dL), the LDL:HDL ratio (2.0 ± 0.1 vs. 1.7 ± 0.1), fasting blood glucose (101.4 ± 7.5 mg/dL vs. 91.7 ± 3.4 mg/dL), fasting blood insulin (7.92 ± 0.80 μU/mL vs. 5.76 ± 0.59 μU/mL), homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) (2.06 ± 0.30 vs. 1.40 ± 0.21), systolic BP (110.7 ± 2.2 mm Hg vs. 105.5 ± 1.7 mm Hg), and body weight (74.1 ± 2.4 kg vs. 71.5 ± 2.3 kg) (all p < 0.05).ConclusionFollowing a Daniel Fast dietary plan improves a variety of cardiometabolic parameters in a wide range of individuals in as little as 21 days, and these improvements are unaffected by krill oil supplementation.Trial registrationClinicaltrial.govNCT01378767

Effect of Coptic Orthodox Christian church fasting on healthy and diabetic subjects

“…The present results, for total groups, differ coarsely from those reported with the Daniel Fast (DF) [17,18] and the GOC fast. [4,19,20] Clinical and epidemiological evidences have shown that during the DF and GOC fast both T.…”

Influence of a 6-month modified or traditional Daniel Fast on measures of health in men and women

“…While participants did not maintain perfect compliance, it appears that approximately 80% compliance is adequate to promote positive changes in the lipid panel. Interestingly, as in past studies of the DF [1,2,4], at the 3 week time period, HDL-C was reduced slightly. However, at the 3 and 6 month time period, values were slightly higher as compared to pre, indicating that the decrease in HDL-C when adopting the DF plan may be transient.…”

“…For mood, vitality, and satiety, participants rated each item using a scale of 1-10 (1=as low as possible; 10=as high as possible). These data were based entirely on self-report and we used the same questions as in our prior research of the DF [1][2][3][4].…”

“…The dietary restriction model known as the Daniel Fast (DF) is a stringent plant-based plan shown to yield multiple health-related benefits when followed for a 21-day period [1][2][3][4]. The DF is considered to be a partial fast, in which restrictions are simply placed on the type of foods that may be consumed but not on the amount of food.…”

Nitric Oxide in Health and Physical Performance: Considering the Molecule 2 Nitrooxy Ethyl 2 Amino 3 Methylbutanoate

“…In addition, alteration of whole food intake in favor of nitrate-rich vegetables and low saturated fat/low sugar foods may prove helpful (Bloomer et al, 2011;Trepanowski et al, 2012). In ISSN 2157-6076 2016 addition, a variety of pharmaceutical agents have been used in an attempt to alter NO • production and/or availability.…”