Nine obese women without hyperinsulinemia fasted 22 +/- 2 d under controlled conditions. Blood was drawn weekly and lipids, lipoproteins, and insulin were determined. In five patients an open fat biopsy was performed before and after fasting and the incorporation of free fatty acids (FFA) into total lipids, diglycerides (DG), and triglycerides (TG) was measured. Glycerol release into the… Read More

An appreciation of the physiology of fasting is essential to the understanding of therapeutic dietary interventions and the effect of food deprivation in various diseases. The practice of prolonged fasting for political or religious purposes is increasing, and a physician is likely to encounter such circumstances. Early in fasting weight loss is rapid, averaging 0.9 kg per day during the first… Read More

During a total fast in obese subjects, the daily rate of nitrogen excretion undergoes only a small further decline after 2 wk, the excretion rate being about 5 g N/day. At this time, ammonium and urea each constitute about one-half of this excretion. The purpose of this study was to consider two alternative hypotheses: first, that the near plateau in nitrogen excretion represents an… Read More

The effect of complete fasting on the serum concentrations of the iodothyronines 3,5-diiodothyronine (3,5-T2), 3,3'T2, 3', 5'-T2 and 3'-monoiodothyronine (3'-T1) was evaluated. Fourteen obese women underwent a complete fasting for 4 days. Caloric restriction resulted in the following serum hormone levels (before vs 3. day): T4: 103 vs 109 nmol/l (NS), T3: 1.83 vs 1.24… Read More

The urinary excretion of acetylcarnitine was studied in patients with diabetic ketosis before and during insulin therapy and in normal-weight and obese subjects during fasting. In the diabetic ketotic patients, acetylcarnitine represented 61% of the total acylcarnitine excretion. During the first 24 h of insulin treatment, acetylcarnitine excretion decreased and on the 5th day of treatment was… Read More

Arterial (A) and renal venous (RV) concentrations and net splanchnic exchange of glucose, fructose, lactate, pyruvate, glycerol, and alanine were studied in the basal state and during a 135-min intravenous infusion of fructose at 2 mmol/min in healthy subjects after a 60-h fast. After 45 min of the fructose infusion, somatostatin (9 microgram/min) was infused for 60 min to induce… Read More

We have studied (125I)-insulin binding and insulin dose response relationships of (14C)-methylglucose transport conversion of (14C)-glucose to CO2 and total lipids, and lipolysis at 37 degrees C and pH 7.4 in adipocytes from obese patients before (n = 15) and after fasting for 10 days (n = 6). Studies of adipocytes from obese before fasting showed a significant reduction of insulin binding… Read More