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The Effects of 4‐weeks of Prolonged Nighttime Fasting on Biomarkers of Health and Longevity in Healthy Males
Author(s) -
DirksNaylor Amie J.,
Wilson Jennifer A.,
Bush Mark,
Waghel Rashi,
Dresser Johanna,
Gandhi Nidhi,
Hanseler Gregory
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
the faseb journal
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.709
H-Index - 277
eISSN - 1530-6860
pISSN - 0892-6638
DOI - 10.1096/fasebj.2018.32.1_supplement.763.4
Subject(s) - intermittent fasting , medicine , regimen , adiponectin , heart rate , endocrinology , body mass index , caloric theory , blood pressure , insulin , insulin resistance
Caloric restriction and intermittent fasting have shown to confer a plethora of health benefits. However, traditional regimens of caloric restriction (restricting caloric intake by 30–40% every day) and intermittent fasting (fasting every other day), have proven difficult to adhere. Prolonged nighttime fasting is a type of intermittent fasting which may be an easier regimen to maintain, but has been scarcely studied. Thus, the aim of this study was to determine the effects of this regimen on biomarkers of health and longevity. Eleven healthy men ranging in age from 21–39 years fasted for 16‐hrs (~6pm–10am) each night for 4‐weeks. Subjects were instructed to eat their normal diet outside of the suggested fasting hours. Pre‐ and post‐ fasting blood samples were collected. 24‐hr food and drink intake was self‐recorded periodically before and during the fasting period using the Automated Self‐Administered 24‐hour Recall (ASA24) website. Subjects also completed a survey pertaining to compliance and feeding behavior in response to the fasting protocol. Prolonged‐nighttime fasting decreased systolic blood pressure (SBP), but did not have a statistically significant effect on other biomarkers: diastolic BP, body mass index, resting heart rate, or fasting plasma levels of glucose, lipids, beta hydroxybutyrate, fructosamine, C‐reactive protein, insulin, insulin‐like growth factor (IGF), fibroblast GF21, growth differentiation factor 11, myostatin, adiponectin, or sirtuin 3. Average daily caloric intake did not differ before and during the fasting protocol. When surveyed, 63.6% of subjects felt it was very easy or easy to adhere to the fasting protocol, while 9.1% felt it was difficult or very difficult. While the majority of subjects believed that they decreased their food intake during the fasting protocol, their cravings for unhealthy food increased. In conclusion, the prolonged nighttime fasting regimen did not show an effect on most biomarkers of health and longevity. This may have been due to the small number of subjects who were also mostly young and healthy, short study duration, changes to unhealthy food choices, and/or lack of compliance. This abstract is from the Experimental Biology 2018 Meeting. There is no full text article associated with this abstract published in The FASEB Journal .