Recent Research on Fasting and Calorie Restriction (November 2024)

1/ Adipose tissue retains an epigenetic memory of obesity after weight loss.

This is what we can call a tour de force !

Pr. Ferdinand Von Meyenn, who is one of our regular collaborator since he is supervising one of our Phd students, showed how obesity-induced transcriptional and cellular changes in adipose tissue persist even after significant weight loss, by epigenetic mechanisms.

In humans, adipose tissue biopsies two years post- bariatric surgery revealed persistent downregulation of pathways linked to adipocyte metabolism and function and upregulation of fibrosis-related pathways. This means obesogenic alterations remain unresolved.

Mouse studies further demonstrated that while most obesity-related pathophysiology resolves after weight loss, adipocytes retain upregulated inflammatory and extracellular matrix remodeling pathways, alongside suppressed metabolic pathways.

This research highlights an "epigenetic memory" of obesity that may influence long-term metabolic health post-weight loss.

This is really fascinating, and I should say that we hope to gain information along these lines on the topic of fasting from our study FastForward together with Pr. Von Meyenn.

2/ Fasting-mimicking diet restores kidney function in glomerulopathy

A study found that a kidney-specific (low-salt) fasting-mimicking diet induced ?improved glomerular function and promoted signatures of podocyte renewal over time. In a pilot clinical study including 13 patients with chronic kidney disease, three FMD cycles resulted in decreased proteinuria and improved metabolic parameters. Improved proteinuria was maintained up to 1 year after the FMD cycles in these patients. Together, these data suggest that FMDs could be promising interventions for kidney disease management.

3/ The Catabolic-Anabolic Cycling Hormesis Model explains the effects of sports and fasting

A new model, the Catabolic-Anabolic Cycling Hormesis Model, has been proposed to explain how alternating cycles of breakdown and synthesis processes contribute to health and resilience. This framework may provide insights into optimizing metabolic health through lifestyle interventions. This is a must read by a collaboration with the top scientist of the hormesis theories Edward Calabrese with the specialist of fasting Mark Mattson. It really makes sense that physical exercise and intermittent fasting have some comparable metabolic benefits.

4/ Motivations behind time-restricted eating: a qualitative insight

This study explored individual motivations for adopting time-restricted eating (TRE) through qualitative interviews. Participants reported that TRE felt intuitive and aligned with their natural eating rhythms, making it easier to adhere to compared to other dietary interventions. This is a nice support to the idea that it is better to count the hours and not the calories.

5/ Metabolic signatures of dietary lifespan in drosophila

The study identified metabolic signatures associated with dietary interventions that extend lifespan and healthspan using the large community resource Drosophila Genetic Reference Panel. Notably, orotate blocked the dietary restriction induced lifespan extension in flies, while threonine supplementation extended lifespan. The study provides insights into conserved metabolic pathways influenced by diet, offering potential targets for promoting healthy aging through nutritional strategies.

6/ Mobile-based low-calorie diet intervention effective for weight loss in china

A randomized controlled trial assessed a mobile-based platform delivering a low-calorie dietary intervention for weight loss in China. After the intervention, participants in the intervention group lost more body weight and body fat while retaining muscle mass than those in the control group, demonstrating the effectiveness of mobile-assisted dietary interventions in weight management.

7/ Fasting and refeeding remodel gut microbiota and liver in hens

Research on laying hens demonstrated fasting decreased the body weight, liver index, and the villus height and villus/crypt ratio of jejunum, but also significantly changed the gut microbiota compositions. This was rapidly reversed at refeeding.

8/ A single-cell analysis of natural killer (NK) cells reveals how dietary restriction boosts NK-cell antitumor immunity

Single-cell analysis revealed that dietary restriction boosts natural killer (NK) cell antitumor immunity through the upregulation of the transcription factor Eomesodermin by optimizing mTORC1 signaling. This suggests that dietary interventions can enhance tumor immunity through nontumor autonomous mechanisms, including promoting NK-cell tumor immunosurveillance and activation.

9/ Dawn-to-dusk fasting upregulates autophagy genes in overweight individuals

A prospective study found that dawn-to-dusk intermittent fasting is associated with the overexpression of three autophagy genes LAMP2, LC3B, and ATG5 in overweight and obese individuals. This suggests that such fasting patterns may promote cellular cleanup processes, contributing to metabolic health.

10/ Calorie Restriction Linked to Mandible Bone Loss via Mitochondrial Function?in mice

Research published in?Bone?indicates that calorie restriction in mice (30% restriction for 8 weeks) can lead to significant bone loss in the mandibles of female mice, almost certainly related to a reduced ATP supply and the unregulated generation of ROS.

11/ Caloric restriction modifies liver damage mechanisms from sucrose intake?in rats

The study explored how caloric restriction influences liver damage caused by high sucrose intake. ?Key pathways associated with the progression of metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease?such as inflammation, ER stress and apoptosis were slowed down. The study uncovers mechanisms affected during the first stages of the reversal of steatohepatitis by calorie restriction.

12/ Time-restricted feeding prevents diet-induced memory impairments?in mice

A study in?Molecular Metabolism?found that time-restricted feeding prevents memory impairments caused by an obesogenic diet in mice, potentially through hippocampal thyroid hormone signaling. Impaired memory of mice under obesogenic diet was accompanied by reduced thyroid hormone signaling and altered expression of astrocytic genes regulating glutamate neurotransmission. This was rescued by intermittent fasting highlighting this nutritional approach as a powerful tool in addressing obesity brain comorbidities.

13/ Intermittent fasting enhances insulin sensitivity via gut microbiota modulation?

Research in?Molecular Nutrition & Food Research?demonstrates that intermittent fasting improves insulin resistance in diet-induced obesity in mice by modulating gut microbiota and bile acid metabolism. Interesting mechanisms which might be difficult to translate to humans…

14/ Very-low-calorie diets induce type 2 diabetes remission in south asian population?

?A study in?Diabetic Medicine?reports that a very-low-calorie diet-based intensive lifestyle intervention led to remission of type 2 diabetes in a South Asian population, highlighting the potential of dietary strategies in diabetes management. The NHS soup study already showed this beautifully recently. This is again showing that some forms of dietary restrictions are needed for type 2 diabetes remission which is not achieved by current pharmacological strategies mostly managing symptoms.

15/ Combined resistance training and calorie restriction affect obesity biomarkers?

Research in?Growth Factors?examined the effects of combined resistance exercise and alternate-day calorie restriction on soluble epidermal growth factor receptor and adipsin levels in obese men, providing insights into obesity treatment strategies.?

To be fair I think this is not the ideal design to combine training with the calorie restriction, it might be more efficient to use the resistance training either as a prehabilitation method or as a method for maintenance of the effects of calorie restriction.

16/ Long-term Fasting Induces Metabolic Shifts in Humans?

This study analysed physiological and biochemical changes during a long-term fasting period. Altogether, this bring evidence about how prolonged fasting can reduce the body's resting energy expenditure and adapt to body weight loss through physiological regulatory mechanisms without adverse effects on important organs.

As usual feel free to comment, raise any questions, or simply like or repost this new issue in order to raise awareness about the science of fasting!