Periodic Fasting: A Strategy for Improving Cardiometabolic Parameters and Antioxidant Levels in Obesity
Abstract
Objective: Obesity is associated with decreased antioxidant activity, such as Superoxide Dismutase (SOD), and due to metabolic switching processes, Periodic Fasting (PF) as a potential therapeutic approach must be further studied. The study aimed to analyze the effects of PF on cardiometabolic parameters, metabolic switches, and antioxidant levels.
Material and Methods: This was a quasi-experimental study conducted in Surabaya, East Java, Indonesia, consisting of the intervention (PFG) group, which received PF for 10 days, and the Control Group (CG), which had daily meals. The measurements of metabolic parameters, such as anthropometric parameters, fasting blood glucose (FBG), total cholesterol (TC), β-Hydroxybutyrate (β-HB), and antioxidant level, were taken pre and post-intervention.
Results: Thirty-six young adult men participated in this study. After 10 days, there was a significant improvement in most cardiometabolic parameters in the PFG group (p-value<0.05), including a reduction in FBG and TC (p-value<0.05). In the PFG group, the post-test mean β-HB level was significantly higher than the pre-test (21.48±8.86 vs. 15.63±3.71, p-value<0.05), and the mean SOD level also increased (76.64±3.62 vs. 73.56±4.10, p-value<0.05).There was a negative correlation between PF and the difference (Δ) in FBG (p=0.000) and between post-test SOD, abdominal circumference (AC), and body weight (BW) (p=0.041, p-value<0.05).
Conclusion: The ability of PF to improve cardiometabolic parameters, including metabolic switch and antioxidant levels, makes it a feasible dietary intervention for obesity-related and associated health problems.
Keywords
Full Text:
PDFReferences
Lobstein T, Jackson-Leach R, Powis J, Brinsden H, Gray M. World Obesity Atlas 2023 [homepage on the Internet]. London: World Obesity Federation; 2023 [cited cited 2023 Nov 16]. Available from: https://data.worldobesity.org/publications/WOF-Obesity-Atlas-V5.pdf
Colak E, Pap D, Nikolić L, Vicković S. The impact of obesity to antioxidant defense parameters in adolescents with increased cardiovascular risk Uticaj gojaznosti na parametre antioksidantne zaštite kod adolescenata sa povećanim kardiovaskularnim rizikom. J Med Biochem 2020;39:1–9.
Manna P, Jain SK. Obesity, oxidative stress, adipose tissue dysfunction, and the associated health risks: causes and therapeutic strategies. Metab Syndr Relat Disord 2015;13:423–44.
Yuliyanasari N, Rejeki PS, Hidayati HB, Subsomwong P, Miftahussurur M. The effect of intermittent fasting on preventing obesity-related early aging from a molecular and cellular perspective. J Med Life 2024;17:261–72.
Patikorn C, Roubal K, Veettil SK, Chandran V, Pham T, Lee YY, et al. Intermittent Fasting and Obesity-Related Health Outcomes: an umbrella review of meta-analyses of randomized clinical trials. JAMA Netw Open 2021;4:1–12.
Wang Y, Branicky R, Noë A, Hekimi S. Superoxide dismutases: dual roles in controlling ROS damage and regulating ROS signaling. J Cell Biol 2018;217:1915–28.
Torkanlou K, Bibak B, Abbaspour A, Abdi H, Moghaddam MS, Tayefi M, et al. Reduced serum levels of zinc and superoxide dismutase in obese individuals. Ann Nutr Metab 2017;69:232–6.
Jakubiak GK, Osadnik K, Lejawa M, Kasperczyk S, Osadnik T, Pawlas N. Oxidative stress in association with metabolic health and obesity in young adults. Oxid Med Cell Longev 2021; 2021:1–19.
Lettieri-Barbato D, Minopoli G, Caggiano R, Izzo R, Santillo M, Aquilano K, et al. Fasting drives nrf2-related antioxidant response in skeletal muscle. Int J Mol Sci 2020;21:1–12.
Gureev AP, Shaforostova EA, Popov VN. Regulation of mitochondrial biogenesis as a way for active longevity: Interaction between the Nrf2 and PGC-1α signaling pathways. Front Genet 2019;10:1–12.
Kolb H, Kempf K, Röhling M, Lenzen-Schulte M, Schloot NC, Martin S. Ketone bodies: from enemy to friend and guardian angel. BMC Med 2021;19:313–46. doi: 10.1186/s12916-021-02185-0.
Anton SD, Moehl K, Donahoo WT, Marosi K, Lee SA, Mainous AG, et al. Flipping the metabolic switch: understanding and applying the health benefits of fasting. Obesity 2017;26:254–68. doi: 10.1002/oby.22065.
De Toledo FW, Grundler F, Goutzourelas N, Tekos F, Vassi E, Mesnage R, et al. Influence of Long-Term Fasting on Blood Redox Status in Humans. Antioxidants 2020;9:1–15.
De Toledo FW, Grundler F, Bergouignan A, Drinda S, Michalsen A. Safety, health improvement and well-being during a 4 to 21-day fasting period in an observational study including 1422 subjects. PLoS One 2019;14:1–23.
Yuliyanasari N, Zamri EN, Rejeki PS, Miftahussurur M. The Impact of ten days of periodic fasting on the modulation of the longevity gene in overweight and obese individuals: a quasi-experimental study. Nutrients 2024;16:3112.
Yan S, Wang C, Zhao H, Pan Y, Wang H, Guo Y, et al. Effects of fasting intervention regulating anthropometric and metabolic parameters in subjects with overweight or obesity: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Food Funct 2020;11:3781–99.
Stekovic S, Hofer SJ, Tripolt N, Aon MA, Royer P, Pein L, et al. Alternate day fasting improves physiological and molecular markers of aging in healthy, non-obese humans. Cell Metab 2019;30:462-476.e5.
Wegman MP, Guo MH, Bennion DM, Shankar MN, Chrzanowski SM, Goldberg LA, et al. Practicality of intermittent fasting in humans and its effect on oxidative stress and genes related to aging and metabolism. Rejuvenation Res 2015;18:162–72.
Jamshed H, Beyl R, Della Manna D, Yang E, Ravussin E, Peterson C. Early time-restricted feeding improves 24-hour glucose levels and affects markers of the circadian clock, aging, and autophagy in humans. Nutrients 2019;11:1–16.
World Health Organization. Regional Office for the Western Pacific. The Asia-Pacific perspective : redefining obesity and its treatment [homepage on the Internet]. Sydney: WHO; 2000 [cited 2021 Jun 12]. Available from: https://iris.who.int/handle/10665/206936
Rudolf K, Lammer F, Stassen G, Froböse I, Schaller A. Show cards of the global physical activity questionnaire (GPAQ) - do they impact validity? a crossover study. BMC Public Health 2020;20:1–10.
Mindikoglu AL, Abdulsada MM, Jain A, Choi JM, Jalal PK, Devaraj S, et al. Intermittent fasting from dawn to sunset for 30 consecutive days is associated with anticancer proteomic signature and upregulates key regulatory proteins of glucose and lipid metabolism, circadian clock, DNA repair, cytoskeleton remodeling, immune system. J Proteomics 2020;217:1–12. doi: 10.1016/j.jprot.2020.103645
Chow SC, Shao J, Wang H, Lokhnygina Y. Sample size calculations in clinical research. Third Edit. Norwegia: CRC Press Taylor & Francis Group, LLC; 2018;p.1–23.
Zubrzycki A, Cierpka-Kmiec K, Kmiec Z, Wronska A. The role of low-calorie diets and intermittent fasting in the treatment of obesity and type-2 diabetes. J Physiol Pharmacol 2018;69:663–83.
WHO Expert Committee. Physical status: the use and interpretation of anthropometry [homepage on the Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 1995 [cited 2025 Feb 11]. Available from: https://www.who.int/publications/i/item/9241208546
WHO Expert Consultation. Waist Circumference and Waist–Hip Ratio: Consultation, Report of a WHO Expert [homepage on the Internet]. Geneva; WHO: 2008 [cited 2025 Feb 25]. Available from: https://iris.who.int/bitstream/handle/10665/44583/9789241501491_eng.pdf
Ringle CM, Wende S, Becker JM. SmartPLS 4 [homepage on the Internet]. Bönningstedt: SmartPLS GmbH; 2022 [cited 2024 Sep 26]. Available from: ttp://www.smartpls.com
Ahmed A, Saeed F, Arshad MU, Afzaal M, Imran A, Ali SW, et al. Impact of intermittent fasting on human health : an extended review of metabolic cascades. Int J Food Prop 2019;21:2700–13.
Dote-Montero M, Sanchez-Delgado G, Ravussin E. Effects of Intermittent fasting on cardiometabolic health: an energy metabolism perspective. Nutrients 2022;14:489–512.
Yang F, Liu C, Liu X, Pan X, Li X, Tian L, et al. Effect of epidemic intermittent fasting on cardiometabolic risk factors: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Front Nutr 2021;8.
Cheung K, Chan V, Chan S, Wong MMH, Chung GKK, Cheng WY, et al. Effect of intermittent fasting on cardiometabolic health in the chinese population: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials. Nutrients 2024;16:357–72.
Mao T, Wei Q, Zhao F, Zhang C. Short-term fasting reshapes fat tissue. Endocr J 2021;68:387–98.
He M, Wang J, Liang Q, Li M, Guo H, Wang Y, et al. Time-restricted eating with or without low-carbohydrate diet reduces visceral fat and improves metabolic syndrome: a randomized trial. Cell Reports Med 2022;3.
Longo VD, Mattson MP. Fasting: molecular mechanisms and clinical applications. Cell Metab 2014;19:181–92.
Malinowski B, Zalewska K, Węsierska A, Sokołowska MM, Socha M, Liczner G, et al. Intermittent fasting in cardiovascular disorders—an overview. Nutrients 2019;11:1–18.
Ahmed N, Farooq J, Siddiqi HS, Meo SA, Kulsoom B, Laghari AH, et al. Impact of intermittent fasting on lipid profile–a quasi-randomized clinical trial. Front Nutr 2021;7:1–8.
Ooi TC, Meramat A, Rajab NF, Shahar S, Sharif R. Antioxidant potential, DNA damage, inflammation, glycemic control and lipid metabolism alteration: a mediation analysis of islamic sunnah intermittent fasting on cognitive function among older adults with mild cognitive impairment. J Nutr Heal Aging 2022;26:272–81.
Ooi TC, Meramat A, Rajab NF, Shahar S, Ismail IS, Azam AA, et al. Intermittent fasting enhanced the cognitive function in older adults with mild cognitive impairment by inducing biochemical and metabolic changes: a 3-year progressive study. Nutrients 2020;12:1–20.
Szlachta B, Birková A, Wielkoszyński T, Gospodarczyk A, Hubková B, Dydoń M, et al. Serum oxidative status in people with obesity: relation to tissue losses, glucose levels, and weight reduction. Antioxidants 2023;12:1923.
Ensminger DC, Salvador-Pascual A, Arango BG, Allen KN, Vázquez-Medina JP. Fasting ameliorates oxidative stress: a review of physiological strategies across life history events in wild vertebrates. Comp Biochem Physiol -Part A Mol Integr Physiol 2021;256.
Refbacks
- There are currently no refbacks.
This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International License.