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Short Summary
Main recommendation: Routine periodic fasting, going without any food for an extended period, is associated with a lower risk of diabetes and coronary artery disease, according to Dr. Benjamin Horn of Intermountain Medical Center's Heart Institute. A recent study found that a 24-hour water-only fast produced unexpected metabolic changes, and a new study is now testing how often people should fast.
Key Points
- Long-term observation: Over about 10 years, the researchers studied fasting in the Utah population, where many people fast routinely, and found that people who fast periodically have a lower risk of diabetes and coronary artery disease.
- 24-hour fast effects: In a recent study, participants drank only water for 24 hours, and the researchers observed metabolic changes related to fat cell metabolism and insulin sensitivity.
- Human growth hormone rose substantially during the 24-hour fast. Dr. Horn noted it is an antagonist to insulin, which matters because insulin resistance is the process in which the body becomes resistant to insulin in diabetes.
- Open question: The researchers do not yet know how often fasting should be repeated, which is what the new study is designed to determine.
Details Worth Noting
- Concrete instructions: The fast in the completed study was 24 hours, drinking water only and consuming nothing else. The new study asks participants who are pre-diabetic, or who have diabetes controlled by diet alone, to fast once a week for five weeks. They cannot be taking any diabetes medications.
- Study timing: The new study started a few weeks before the broadcast and is actively recruiting participants.
- Eligibility: Participants must be pre-diabetic or have diabetes controlled by diet alone (not on diabetes medications), with metabolic conditions.
- How to enroll: Interested people can call Intermountain Medical Center; the phone number was to be shown on screen and is listed on the website.
- The 24-hour study results are described as being published this year in an academic medical journal.
- The broadcast directed viewers to the website given as kutv.com for more information.
Bottom Line
Periodic fasting shows promising links to lower diabetes and heart disease risk, but the ideal frequency and duration are still being researched, and the current evidence is preliminary.
