Intermittent fasting modulation of the diabetic syndrome in sand rats. III. Post-mortem investigations

Abstract

Abstract. The present report concerns several post-mortem variables examined in sand rats that were either maintained on a vegetal diet (control animals) or exposed first during a 20-day transition period to a mixed diet consisting of a fixed amount of a hypercaloric food and decreasing amounts of the vegetal food and then to a 30-day experimental period of exposure to the hypercaloric food. During the latter period, all animals were either given free access to food or fasting daily for 15 h, i.e. from 5.00 p.m. to 8.00 a.m. The body weight, liver wet weight, pancreas wet weight, plasma glucose and haemoglobin A1c concentration, plasma insulin concentration, insulinogenic index, insulin resistance HOMA, plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentration, liver triglyceride and phospholipid content were all measured. Pancreatic islet (insulin, GLUT2) and liver (lipid droplets) histology were also examined. The main findings consisted in a lower body weight of fasting than non-fasting animals, a higher liver weight in non-diabetic and diabetic rats than in control non-fasting (but not so in fasting) animals, a decrease of pancreas weight in non-diabetic and diabetic as distinct from control animals, a fasting-induced decrease in plasma glucose, plasma insulin and insulin resistance HOMA, plasma cholesterol and triglyceride concentration and triglyceride liver content.

Intermittent Fasting Modulation of the Diabetic Syndrome in Streptozotocin-Injected Rats

“…In conclusion, therefore, the present study allows to extend to streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, the proposal that intermittent fasting exerts a beneficial effect on glucose tolerance [11–13]. In our opinion, such a dietary approach merits to be also considered as a possible approach to prevent or minimize, if not correct, disturbances of glucose homeostasis in human subjects.…”

“…In the light of a prior study conducted in sand arts [11–13], the major aim of the present experiments was to investigate the potential benefit of intermittent fasting in STZ-induced diabetic rats. Parallel experiments were here conducted in control animals.…”

“…Intermittent overnight fasting, inspired by the daily fasting period during the Ramadan, was recently reported to prevent the progressive deterioration of glucose tolerance otherwise taking place in sand rats exposed to a hypercaloric diet [11–13]. The major aim of the present study was to investigate whether a comparable benefit of intermittent fasting may prevail in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.…”

Intermittent Fasting for Twelve Weeks Leads to Increases in Fat Mass and Hyperinsulinemia in Young Female Wistar Rats

“…These results contradict previously published studies, which show a reduction in blood glucose concentrations. [25,76,77]. Nevertheless, in this case, the lower glycaemia can be a consequence of large amounts of circulating insulin concentrations (Figure 8) since insulin is the hypoglycemic hormone that allows glucose to enter in insulin-sensitive target cells.…”

“…Nutrients 2020, 12, 1029; doi:10.3390/nu12041029 www.mdpi.com/journal/nutrients a reduction in blood pressure and heart rate [16][17][18][19][20]; a reduction in inflammation; and protection against neurodegeneration [17][18][19][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30].…”