Five‐day water‐only fasting decreased metabolic‐syndrome risk factors and increased anti‐aging biomarkers without toxicity in a clinical trial of normal‐weight individuals

Abstract

Fasting is known to have many health benefits such as prolonging lifespan and suppression of tumorigenesis. [1][2][3] In the present study, we systematically evaluated the effects of water-only fasting on metabolic-syndrome and age-related risk markers in 45 normal-weight individuals.As shown, a 4.59 kg reduction in body weight, 9.85 cm reduction in waist circumference, and 1.64 kg/m 2 reduction in body mass index (BMI) were observed during a 5-day water-only fast (Figures 1A-1C). After refeeding for 1 month (day 38), body weight, waist circumference, and BMI were still lower than the baseline level . Blood pressure (BP) significantly declined during water-only fasting with diastolic BP declining more than systolic BP and gradually both increased to the baseline level by 98 d (Figures 1D and 1E). Considering many fasting studies showed diastolic BP reduction did not exceed systolic BP reduction, future studies are needed on water-only fasting and BP reduction. Insulin dropped approximately 2.8-fold lower than the baseline level during water-only fasting (Figure 1F). Insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-1) decreased by a total of 26% during water-only fasting and decreased more in females than males (Figure 1G and Table S1). Future studies will address the sexual disparity of IGF-1 reduction during water-only fasting. The number of pan T cells, CD4+T cells, CD8+T cells, and B cells decreased during water-only fasting . In contrast, the frequency of Treg cells significantly increased during fasting and still exceeded the baseline level 3 months after refeeding (Figures 1L and 1M). This is an important benefit, since Treg cells have anti-inflammation effects. 4 With regard to thyroid hormones, T4 increased rapidly during fasting, whereas T3 and TSH decreased (Figures 1N-1P). The decreased level of T3 during water-only fasting is of particularly importance since a low T3 level, without impairing thyroid function, is strongly associated with longevity. 5,6 The present studyThis is an open access article under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits use, distribution and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.

A Six-Week Follow-Up Study on the Sustained Effects of Prolonged Water-Only Fasting and Refeeding on Markers of Cardiometabolic Risk

“…The metabolic switch to ketogenesis during fasting increases lipolysis, de novo synthesis of TG in the liver, and localized adipose tissue inflammation, all of which may lead to an increase in circulating lipids [ 26 ]. Recent publications assessing the effects of similar fasting protocols on lipids have reported inconsistent lipid mobilization trends after fasting and refeeding [ 9 , 10 , 27 ], which may highlight the heterogeneity of glucose and lipid metabolism in obese populations [ 28 ]. Furthermore, it is theorized that during periods of fasting and increased physical activity, muscle tissue utilizes TG rather than glucose as an energy source, and therefore increased TG during fasting may have a beneficial rather than harmful effect as it does during periods of non-fasting or chronic inactivity [ 29 ].…”

“…The gradual reintroduction of food—typically for a period of at least half of the total fast length—is essential after a prolonged caloric deficit in order to properly account for any metabolic and electrolyte changes and prevent refeeding syndrome [ 8 ]. Although various refeeding diets have been reported [ 9 , 10 ], there is a lack of knowledge regarding the metabolic changes that occur during food reintroduction following prolonged water-only fasting.…”

Integrated Omics Analysis Reveals Alterations in the Intestinal Microbiota and Metabolites of Piglets After Starvation

“…Serum biochemical indicators are closely related to animal growth and development, innate immunity, and intestinal health (Jiang et al, 2021 ). Because starvation can cause blood sugar metabolism disorders, higher concentrations of TC and TG can produce more acetyl-CoA, which increases the oxidation of fatty acids to provide energy to the body (Snipes et al, 1986 ; Schaefer et al, 2019 ).…”

Forward single‐cell sequencing into clinical application: Understanding of ageing and rejuvenation from clinical observation to single‐cell solution

“…Rg3 has two epimers 20(S)‐ginsenoside Rg3 (SRg3) and 20(R)‐ginsenoside Rg3 (RRg3) and is one of the ginsenoside family of chemicals extracted from Panax ginseng that has multiple biological interference effects, including anti‐cancer, anti‐angiogenesis, and anti‐inflammation 18 . In addition, the strategy of a 5‐day water‐only fast was found to alter metabolic‐syndrome and age‐related risk markers and improve immune function, for example, body weight, waist circumference, body mass index, blood pressure, and levels of insulin, insulin‐like growth factor 1, as well as numbers of CD 4+ and CD 8+ T cells and B cells 19 . Such strategies could stimulate the recruitment of Treg cells with the potential to increase the systemic capacity of anti‐inflammation and they indicate a new hypothesis that the strategy of living style pattern modifications can be a new alternative for anti‐ageing and rejuvenation.…”