Fasting Mimicking Diet as a Treatment for Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Forms of intermittent fasting and calorie restriction are quite effective at reducing inflammation, and the work done on fasting mimicking diets has gone a long way towards quantifying this effect. The goal was to find the 80/20 point on the line between mild calorie restriction and fasting, the most food one can eat and still obtain lasting benefits to metabolic health due to the usual reaction to an extended period of restricted calorie intake. (Which, per that research, is one day at 1000 kcal followed by four more days at 750 kcal per day, provided those calories are in the form of healthy food). Since lowered calorie intake has anti-inflammatory effects, it isn't surprising to see researchers investigating it in the context of inflammatory diseases. The work here is largely interesting for the continued focus on the degree to which the benefits of fasting emerge during the period of increased calorie intake afterwards, rather than during the fast. A new study reports on the health benefits of periodic cycles of the diet for people with inflammation and indicated that the diet reversed inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) pathology in mice. Results showed that fasting-mimicking diet caused a reduction in intestinal inflammation and an increase in intestinal stem cells in part by promoting the expansion of beneficial gut microbiota. Study authors say the reversal of IBD pathology in mice, together with its anti-inflammatory effects demonstrated in a human clinical tri...
Source: Fight Aging! - Category: Research Authors: Tags: Daily News Source Type: blogs