Intermittent Fasting (‘IF’) might have been the biggest diet trend of 2019.
And it has no signs of slowing down.
We often focus on the weight loss associated with Intermittent Fasting, but there appears to be a range of other health benefits associated with the metabolic changes induced by fasting.
We don’t fully understand why this happens, but I recently came across a great review paper published in the New England Journal of Medicine (NEJM) — Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Health, Aging, and Disease and felt inspired to summarise its findings.
Consider the following a comic abstract with some entertainment value. Always speak to a health professional before starting a new diet and enjoy.
Bibliography and heavily inspired by
References
- Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Health, Aging, and Disease
- Di Francesco A, Di Germanio C, Bernier M, de Cabo R. A time to fast. Science 2018;362:770-5.
- Mattison JA, Colman RJ, Beasley TM, et al. Caloric restriction improves health and survival of rhesus monkeys. Nat Commun 2017;8:14063.
- Meynet O, Ricci JE. Caloric restriction and cancer: molecular mechanisms and clinical implications. Trends Mol Med 2014;20:419-27.
- Nencioni A, Caffa I, Cortellino S, Longo VD. Fasting and cancer: molecular mechanisms and clinical application. Nat Rev Cancer 2018;18:707-19.
- Mattson MP, Moehl K, Ghena N, Schmaedick M, Cheng A. Intermittent metabolic switching, neuroplasticity and brain health. Nat Rev Neurosci 2018;19:63-80.
- Cahill GF Jr. Starvation in man. N Engl J Med 1970;282:668-75.
- Patel S, Alvarez-Guaita A, Melvin A, et al. GDF15 provides an endocrine signal of nutritional stress in mice and humans. Cell Metab 2019;29(3):707e8-718e8.
- Newman JC, Verdin E. β-Hydroxybutyrate: a signaling metabolite. Annu Rev Nutr 2017;37:51-76.
- Fisher FM, Maratos-Flier E. Understanding the physiology of FGF21. Annu Rev Physiol 2016;78:223-41
- Gälman C, Lundåsen T, Kharitonenkov A, et al. The circulating metabolic regulator FGF21 is induced by prolonged fasting and PPARalpha activation in man. Cell Metab 2008;8:169-74.
- Imai SI, Guarente L. It takes two to tango: NAD+ and sirtuins in aging/longevity control. NPJ Aging Mech Dis 2016;2:16017.
- Lee HC. Physiological functions of cyclic ADP-ribose and NAADP as calcium messengers. Annu Rev Pharmacol Toxicol 2001;41:317-45.
- Speakman JR, Mitchell SE. Caloric restriction. Mol Aspects Med 2011;32:159-221.
- Mattson MP, Arumugam TV. Hallmarks of brain aging: adaptive and pathological modification by metab
- Lefevre M, Redman LM, Heilbronn LK, et al. Caloric restriction alone and with exercise improves CVD risk in healthy non-obese individuals. Atherosclerosis 2009;203:206-13.