A Pilot Study on the Effects of Medically Supervised, Water-Only Fasting and Refeeding on Cardiometabolic Risk

Abstract

AbstractThe Fasting for Brain and Heart Health Study was a prospective, single-center, observational study examining the effects of medically supervised, water-only fasting followed by an exclusively whole-plant-food refeeding diet on accepted measures of cardiovascular risk and metabolic health. The study enrolled 48 overweight/obese, non-diabetic participants of which 26 completed the full study protocol. The participants fasted according to an established protocol at an independent medical center that reported mean fast and refeed lengths of 17 and 7 days, respectively. The primary endpoint was to describe mean glucose tolerance as indicated by Homeostatic Model Assessment of Insulin Resistance (HOMA-IR) scores at baseline, end-of-fast (EOF), and end-of-refeed (EOR) visits. Secondary endpoints were to describe the effects of fasting and refeeding on accepted markers of cardiovascular risk. Here we show that medically supervised, water-only fasting and/or whole-plant-food refeeding reduced resting systolic blood pressure (SBP), abdominal circumference, low-density lipoprotein (LDL), and high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) after refeeding. An increase in HOMA-IR scores at EOR was also observed.