Intermittent fasting may protect gut health as we age, finds study

In a new study presented at the annual meeting of the American Physiology Summit, researchers from the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University in Downers Grove reported that intermittent fasting may also help protect the gastrointestinal system — mainly the small intestine — as it ages.

Intermittent fasting is a timed schedule of eating at certain periods of time and then withholding food for an extended duration, a period known as fasting, when a person abstains from eating.Some of the more popular patterns of intermittent fasting include time-restrictive eating, where the fast lasts 12, 14, or 16 hours, and the eating period stretches over the remaining hours of the day, or the 5:2 method, where a person consumes only 500 calories for 2 days of the week and then eats normally for the remaining 5 days.In addition to weight loss, recent studies show that intermittent fasting may offer other health benefits, such as protection against type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and cancer, as well as against gastrointestinal issues, such as inflammatory bowel disease (IBD)Trusted Source and ulcerative colitis.

In the study, researchers used a mouse model that they had genetically modified to accelerate ageing. One group of mice had food available at all times, while the other group only had access to food during alternating 24-hour cycles. They focused on a specific part of the small intestine called the jejunum, responsible for continuing food digestion and absorbing nutrients and water from food so it can be used in other areas of the body.

After 8 months, scientists found that the mice on the fasting plan gained less weight and had structural changes in their small intestines associated with better glucose control and decreased inflammation. They also observed that improvements in the health and appearance of the small intestine were more pronounced in female mice than in male mice.However, scientists found that the impact of intermittent fasting on blood sugar levels was stronger in male mice than in female mice.

“Our study suggests that intermittent fasting is a beneficial dietary practice to control weight gain, improve blood glucose levels, and promote positive intestinal effects by reducing inflammation and oxidative stress while altering intestinal structure,” said Spencer Vroegop, a second-year student at the Arizona College of Osteopathic Medicine at Midwestern University and first author of this study. “Our study suggests that an intermittent fasting diet may help prevent these age-related changes by returning the jejunum to a ‘younger’ version of itself.”

Reference: Annual Meeting: The American Physiology Summit