To determine whether acid-base balance regulates hydrogen ion production, seven obese volunteers were given NaHCO3 and NH4Cl (2 mmol.kg-1.day-1) during two separate 7-day fasts. On days 5-7 plasma bicarbonate was lower in the NH4Cl fasts (14.0 +/- 1.4 mM) than in the NaHCO3 fasts (18.3 +/- 1.1 mM), while urine pH and net acid excretion did not differ. Acid production (acid excretion minus… Read More

The effects of vegetarian fasting were evaluated in 14 grossly obese patients who participated in a program comprising 5 weeks' fasting in a lactovegetarian health center. Before and after the fasting period the patients were hospitalized and put on a standardized weight-maintaining diet; at the health center they consumed vegetable juices containing less than 1 MJ and 3 g of protein per… Read More

To determine whether the differences in fasting glucose responses in men, women and children could be related to differences in glucoregulatory hormone secretion or availability of circulating gluconeogenic substrates, 20 adults (10 men and 10 women) were fasted for 86 hr and 15 children (6.1 +/- 0.8 yr, mean +/- SE) were fasted for 30 hr. Circulating concentrations of glucose, ketone bodies,… Read More

The effect of 5 days' complete fasting on the activity of 7 enzymes of energy supplying metabolism was studied in the vastus lateralis muscles of 9 healthy male volunteers. There was a significant decrease of lactate dehydrogenase (by 66%), triosephosphate dehydrogenase (by 61%), malate:NAD dehydrogenase (by 48%), hexokinase (by 40%), 3-hydroxyacyl-CoA-dehydrogenase (by 40%),… Read More

1. The blood concentrations of 3-hydroxybutyrate and alanine were measured before and after they were separately injected into obese patients who were taking a 1.68 MJ (400 kcal) diet and again when they had starved for 4 days and 28 days. 2. The disappearance of the injected metabolite was exponential and its half-life and volume of distribution were calculated. 3. The disappearance of… Read More

The effect of five weeks fasting on body weight, lean body mass and fat weight was studied in 14 obese subjects (BW 92-200 kg, Broca's index 1.3-2.4). Before and after treatment the patients were hospitalized and put on a standardized weight maintaining diet, and variables reflecting thyroid function were compared before and after weight reduction. There was a considerable variability in… Read More

The facilitation of glucose disposal (Staub-Traugott effect) and potentiation of serum insulin (IRI) concentration normally occurring after closely spaced intravenous glucose loads, are known to disappear after prolonged starvation. To study the effects of minimal amounts of glucose during fasting upon the insulin response and disposal of repeated intravenous glucose tolerance tests, obese… Read More

To assess the influence of fasting on the lipolytic effect of catecholamines in vivo noradrenaline (NA) was infused to 15 obese subjects before and after 7 days of fasting. The infusion of 7.5 microgram/min NA for 10 min was associated with a greater lipolytic response during than before fasting, as judged from changes in the plasma FFA and glycerol levels. The hemodynamic effects of NA were… Read More