Health effects of intermittent fasting: hormesis or harm? A systematic review

Horne, Benjamin D.; Muhlestein, Joseph B.; Anderson, Jeffrey L.

doi:10.3945/ajcn.115.109553

Cited by 199 publications

(145 citation statements)

References 54 publications

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“…During the last decade the health‐promoting and life‐extending effects of a wide variety of variants of a standard CR diet have been examined in both humans and models species 29, 57, 58, 59, 60, 61, 62. The major differences between the dietary variants of intermittent calorie restriction are (1) the extent of calorie reduction varying from complete fasting to a mild decrease in calorie intake and (2) the time window when the fasting/CR is applied in combination with the period in between the fasting/CR cycles.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intermittent calorie restriction largely counteracts the adverse health effects of a moderate‐fat diet in aging C57BL/6J mice

Lute

Boekschoten

Dijk

et al. 2017

Molecular Nutrition Food Res

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ScopeCalorie restriction (CR) has been shown to extend life‐ and health‐span in model species. For most humans, a life‐long CR diet is too arduous to adhere to. The aim of this study was to explore whether weekly intermittent CR can (1) provide long‐term beneficial effects and (2) counteract diet‐induced obesity in male aging mice.Methods and resultsIn this study, we have exposed C57Bl/6J mice for 24 months to an intermittent (INT) diet, alternating weekly between CR of a control diet and ad libitum moderate‐fat (MF) feeding. This weekly intermittent CR significantly counteracted the adverse effects of the MF diet on mortality, body weight, and liver health markers in 24‐month‐old male mice. Hepatic gene expression profiles of INT‐exposed animals appeared much more comparable to CR‐ than to MF‐exposed mice. At 12 months of age, a subgroup of MF‐exposed mice was transferred to the INT diet. Gene expression profiles in the liver of the 24‐month‐old diet switch mice were highly similar to the INT‐exposed mice. However, a small subset of genes was consistently changed by the MF diet during the first phase of life.ConclusionWeekly intermittent CR largely, but not completely, reversed adverse effects caused by a MF diet.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Intermittent calorie restriction largely counteracts the adverse health effects of a moderate‐fat diet in aging C57BL/6J mice

Lute

Boekschoten

Dijk

et al. 2017

Molecular Nutrition Food Res

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“…17 However, it should be noted that the majority of these studies have only examined the effects of fasting over a short period of time.…”

Section: Read Onlinementioning

confidence: 99%

Therapeutic fasting as a potential effective treatment for type 2 diabetes: A 4-month case study

Ku¹,

Ramos²,

Fung³

2017

JMH

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Lifestyle therapy is an integral part of type 2 diabetes (T2D) management, but there remains no consensus on an optimal diet. The objective of this study is to evaluate the efficacy of therapeutic fasting as a treatment for T2D. This case follows a male T2D patient treated at the Intensive Dietary Management Clinic in Scarborough, Ontario, over a 4-month period. The patient’s initial fasting regimen consisted of a 24-h fast, three times a week. Over the course of treatment, the patient gradually extended his fasting period, eventually fasting for 42 h, two to three times a week. By the end of treatment, the patient’s weight was reduced by 17.8% and his waist circumference was reduced by 11.0%. In addition, the patient’s glycated haemoglobin levels decreased from 7.7% to 7.2%, and he was able to completely discontinue his insulin treatment, despite over a decade of insulin usage. The patient did not find it difficult to adhere to the fasting schedule and did not experience any hypoglycaemic episodes or other significant adverse effects. These observations suggest that therapeutic fasting may be a viable treatment option for T2D patients.

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“…While long-term maintenance of caloric restriction is challenging, intermittent fasting appears to provide a competitive alternative that is more realistic to implement [3]. Intermittent fasting regimens can produce benefits with fasting periods as brief as 16 –24 hours [18;19;27]. Preclinical and clinical studies have reported multiple adaptive changes following intermittent fasting [28].…”

Section: Potential Partners To Bolster Pain Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Although clinical trials implementing various schedules of interment fasting are few, the findings and adherence thus far have been positive [18]. Horne and colleagues investigated acute biological changes in response to a one-day, water only fast in healthy adults (ages 19 to 64) [19].…”

Section: Potential Partners To Bolster Pain Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Participants in the 24 hour, twice a week protocol reported minimal difficulties compared to the individuals in the 48 hour period where mild experiences of discomfort were indicated. Future studies may want to explore the minimal dose and frequency of intermittent fasting that would promote functional gains, while still being reasonable to implement and sustain (e.g., 16 to 24 hours of fasting, ranging from once a month to twice a week) [18;44]. …”

Section: Potential Partners To Bolster Pain Treatmentmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 1 more Smart Citation

Increasing Neuroplasticity to Bolster Chronic Pain Treatment: A Role for Intermittent Fasting and Glucose Administration?

Sibille

Bartsch

Reddy

et al. 2016

The Journal of Pain

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Neuroplastic changes in brain structure and function are not only a consequence of chronic pain but are involved in the maintenance of pain symptoms. Thus, promoting adaptive, treatment responsive neuroplasticity represents a promising clinical target. Emerging evidence about the human brain’s response to an array of behavioral and environmental interventions may assist in identifying targets to facilitate increased neurobiological receptivity, promoting healthy neuroplastic changes. Specifically, strategies to maximize neuroplastic responsiveness to chronic pain treatment could enhance treatment gains by optimizing learning and positive central nervous system (CNS) adaptation. Periods of heightened plasticity have been traditionally identified with the early years of development. More recent research however has identified a wide spectrum of methods that can be used to “re-open” and enhance plasticity and learning in adults. In addition to transcranial direct current stimulation and transcranial magnetic stimulation, behavioral and pharmacological interventions have been investigated. Intermittent fasting and glucose administration are two propitious strategies, which are non-invasive, inexpensive to administer, implementable in numerous settings, and may be applicable across differing chronic pain treatments. Key findings and neurophysiological mechanisms are summarized, providing evidence for the potential clinical contributions of these two strategies toward ameliorating chronic pain.

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Health effects of intermittent fasting: hormesis or harm? A systematic review

Cited by 199 publications

References 54 publications

Intermittent calorie restriction largely counteracts the adverse health effects of a moderate‐fat diet in aging C57BL/6J mice

Intermittent calorie restriction largely counteracts the adverse health effects of a moderate‐fat diet in aging C57BL/6J mice

Therapeutic fasting as a potential effective treatment for type 2 diabetes: A 4-month case study

Increasing Neuroplasticity to Bolster Chronic Pain Treatment: A Role for Intermittent Fasting and Glucose Administration?

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