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In Biblical times, fasting was used to treat seizures. In the past, many dietary remedies for epilepsy were advocated, including the excess or limitation of animal, mineral, or vegetable substances. Fasting has been used to treat many illnesses for over two and a half thousand years, but it’s not widely known as a way to treat seizures. In 1911,Parisian doctors used the starvation method to treat 20 children and adults with epilepsy and found that seizures were less severe.
The only therapeutic measure against epilepsy recorded in the Hippocratic collection is fasting. PMID: 19049574
Meal Timing
A 2015 8‐DAY & 2015 RCT, 1993 study found that TEF may be lower for meals consumed in the evening or at night compared with a morning or afternoon meal.PMID: 26414564 PMID: 26219416
Fasting Strategies
Alternate-day Fasting: Fast on one day and then eat what you want the next day.
5:2 FASTING: 5 days of the week are normal eating days, while the other two restrict calories to 500–600 per day.
16:8 FASTING: Refrain from calories for 16 hours of the day, and then eating within an 8-hour window.
18:6 FASTING: Refrain from calories for 18 hours of the day, and then eating within a 6-hour window.
20:4 FASTING: Refrain from calories for 20 hours of the day, and then eating within a 4-hour window.
OMAD:one-meal-a-day
The 1994 Comparative Study found after 36 hours of fasting, an increase in metabolic rate is seen and does not change further when measured at 72 hours.
Adrenaline was found to be increased at 72 hours, but not 36.PMID: 8172872
A 1990 Comparative Study found at 48 hours, adrenaline seems to induce a larger amount of heat production (thermogenesis).PMID: 2405717
A 2020 Comprehensive Study Most of the assumed benefits of fasting come from the shift into an energy-scarce state, which up regulates metabolic pathways associated with cell-cycle regulation & energy mobilization. Shorter fasts probably don’t provoke these changes, but fasting for 18 hours or more might.PMID: 33271979
A 2012 RCT Cross-over Study (30 Healthy Individuals, normal Day of Eating,24-hour Water-only Fast.no Washout Period)
water-only fasting increased growth hormone, hemoglobin, red blood cell count, hematocrit, and total, LDL, and HDL cholesterol, and decreased fasting glucose, fasting insulin, insulin resistance, triglycerides, bicarbonate, and body weight compared to a normal day of eating.
There were no changes in blood pressure.
The long-term consequences of these short-term changes are unknown, but repeated episodes of periodic short-term fasting should be evaluated as a preventive treatment with the potential to reduce metabolic disease risk.PMID: 23220077
A 2007 1 Month Study, (12:12)
Fasting individuals had significantly lower levels of the inflammatory markers IL-6, C-reactive protein (CRP) and homocysteine, compared to non-fasting individuals.PMID: 17374948
Alternate-day Fasting
A 2005 Clinical Trial Study Alternate Day Fasting does not cause a decrease in metabolic rate after 22 days, even by eating twice as much food on compensatory days.PMID: 15640462
A 2009 10 Week Study Showed (25% of Calories on the Fast Day & Ad Libitum on the Following Day, alternate-day Fasting,4:3)
Body weight decreased, Percentage body fat decreased, total cholesterol, LDL, and triglyceride concentrations decreased respectively, HDL cholesterol remained unchanged, Systolic blood pressure decreased.PMID: 19793855
16:8 Fasting
A 2019 A RCT Placebo-controlled, Reduced Factorial Design Double-blind 8 Weeks Study (#68 Resistance-trained Females#16/8#caloric Deficit#DEXA)
Intermittent fasting, did not weaken resistance training adaptations in resistance-trained females. Fat-Free Mass growth, skeletal muscle hypertrophy, and muscular performance improvements can be achieved with dramatically different feeding programs.PMID: 31268131
A 2020 A RCT 4 Weeks Study (#26 Active Males#fat Mass (Fm), Fat-Free Mass (FFM), and Body Fat Percentage (BF%)), Skeletal Muscle Cross Sectional Area (CSA) & Muscle Thickness (MT) of the Vastus Lateralis (Vl), Rectus Femoris, (Rf), and Biceps Brachii (BB). Muscles, Resting Energy Expenditure (REE), Muscular Performance, Blood Biomarkers#16/8#25% Caloric Deficit#dexa#muscle Cross-sectional Area by Ultrasound)
Significant decreases were noted in Body Mass, Fat Mass, Body Fat %, testosterone, Adiponectin, and Resting Energy Expenditure.
Plasma cortisol levels were significantly elevated at post only in normal diet.
Fat-Free Mass was maintained equally between groups.
An Intermittent fasting style of eating does not enhance reductions in fat mass over caloric restriction alone during a 4-week hypocaloric diet.PMID: 32316561
A 2016 RCT 8 Weeks Study (34 Resistance-trained Males,16/8,3 Meals,1 P.m., 4 P.m., & 8 P.m, Total & Free Testosterone, IGF- 1, Blood Glucose, Insulin, Adiponectin, Leptin, T3, TSH, Il-6, Il-1β,TNF, Total Cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and Triglycerides. 6–8 Repetitions,3 Sets, Muscular Failure, Bench Press & Leg Press Max Strength, REE, and Respiratory Ratio, anthropometric System, DEXA)
- Showed a decrease in fat mass in time-restricted feeding compared to normal diet.
- Testosterone and IGF- 1, decreased significantly in time-restricted feeding, with no changes in normal diet.
- Adiponectin increased in time-restricted feeding, while total leptin decreased.
- T3 decreased in time-restricted feeding, but no significant changes were detected in TSH, total cholesterol, HDL, LDL, and Triglycerides.
- RRE was unchanged.
- A significant decrease in respiratory ratio was observed in the time-restricted feeding group.
- Protein intakes at or above 1.6g/kg seem to be very suitable for time-restricted feeding.tinsley 2019, PMID: 32316561
- PMID: 27737674
A 2019 RCT Crossover Trial Study (15 MALES,15:9)
- TRE (without prescribing a specific weight-loss dietary protocol) lowered glucose levels in response to a meal, fasting glucagon like peptide-1, and fasting triglycerides.
- Earlier TRE group (8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) had lower glucose response, ghrelin, non-esterified fatty acids, and higher perceived fullness.
- Early TRE group(8 a.m. to 5 p.m.) had lower fasting glucose compared to baseline, whereas the late TRE group (12 p.m. to 9 p.m.) did not.PMID: 31002478
A 2021 8-Week RCT Study, (21 Adults#16/8,aerobic Training, resistance Training)
- TRE consumed 300 fewer kcal/day.
- TRE group lost more body weight (3.3%) than the NE group.
- TRE group had significantly more fat loss (9.0%) than the NE group.
- Lean mass increased by a similar extent in both groups, with no significant differences between groups.PMID: 34042299
18:6 Fasting
A 2021 Single-blind Randomized Study, (Time Restricted Eating subjects consumed their energy needs in 3 meals during an 8-h period of time each day 1 p.m., 4 p.m., and 8 p.m,17/7).
- This study found that the Time Restricted Eating group were significantly lower in body mass, fat mass, IGF-1 and testosterone compared to normal diet.
- Inflammatory markers (IL-6, IL-1β and TNF-α), insulin sensitivity (fasting glucose, insulin and HOMA-IR) and lipid profile (cholesterol, HDL and LDL) significantly improved after Time Restricted Eating compared to normal diet.
- Subjects in Time Restricted Eating spontaneously decreased their daily energy intake, whilst normal diet maintained their starting kcal/day.
- No adverse events were reported.PMID: 34649266
A 2018 RCT, Crossover, controlled Clinical Trial Study (#18:6# 12:12#isocaloric#no Calories Deficit)
- Early time-restricted feeding (eTRF) increases insulin sensitivity.
- eTRF also improves β cell function and lowers blood pressure and oxidative stress.
- eTRF lowers the desire to eat in the evening, which may facilitate weight loss.
- Intermittent fasting can improve health even in the absence of weight loss.
- Levels of 8-isoprostane (a marker of oxidative stress) were significantly lower in the 18:6 group than in the control group.PMID: 29754952
20:4 Fasting
A 2016 A RCT 8 Weeks Study (#20:4#normal Diet#28 Untrained Males#on Quantities or Types of Foods# Muscular Failure#8 - 12 Repetitions#muscle Cross-sectional Area by Ultrasound#dexa)
- Upper & lower body strength & lower body endurance increased in both groups, but effect sizes demonstrate greater improvements in the Time-restricted feeding group.
- The days they fasted, participants in the 20:4 group ate about 650 fewer calories, although their weight did not change & did not adversely affect lean mass retention or muscular improvements.
- The normal diet group did have increased lean mass compared to the 20:4 group, but this difference did not reach statistical significance.
- If protein drops below 1.6g/kg, lean mass can be threatened..PMID: 27550719
OMAD:one-meal-a-day
A 2007 A RCT Crossover 8 Weeks Study (Standard Diet, isocaloric, one-meal-a-day Diet, 11-week Washout,21 Men and Women)
- Eating OMAD, participants had higher systolic and diastolic blood pressure, blood urea nitrogen, albumin, liver enzymes, and total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol.
- Eating OMAD, participants had lower body weight, fat mass, cortisol, hemoglobin, red blood cell count, and hematocrit.
- OMAD significantly worsened glycemic response to an oral glucose tolerance test and higher fasting glucose compared to the standard diet.PMID: 17413096
NOTE:Unfortunately, this study collected their vitals and blood samples at different times of day between the groups.
The authors noted, however, that because the oral glucose tolerance tests were performed in the morning, the OMAD group had their glycemic control assessed much closer to the time they last ate, which may have reduced their performance.
Fasting & Training
A 2021 A Systematic Review & Meta‐analysis study shows that intermittent fasting in combination with resistance training has beneficial effects for reducing body mass and body fat relative to non-intermittent fasting control diets, with similar preservation of fat-free mass.PMID: 33984329
A 2016 RCT study (#20:4#4:3#on Quantities or Types of Foods#muscular Failure#8 - 12 Repetitions#4 Sets#muscle Cross-sectional Area by Ultrasound#DEXA)
- TRF did not affect total body composition.
- TRF reduced energy intake and did not adversely affect lean mass retention or muscular improvements.
- Effect size data indicate a gain in lean soft tissue in the group that performed resistance training without time restricted feeding.PMID: 27550719
Intermittent Fasting & Female
In a 2012 10 Week Study, Glucose response to a meal was slightly impaired in women after 3 weeks.PMID: 15833943
Fasting & Microbiome
A 2020 12 Weeks Pilot Study”(#16:8#14 Adults).
There were no changes to microbiome diversity or the abundance of specific phyla of microbes.PMID: 32228124
