Fasting Literature Database

Biomedical publications about prolonged water-only fasting from 1881-1999

TrueNorth Health Foundation has meticulously curated an extensive database of historical literature on prolonged water-only fasting dating back to the late 19th century.

This collection serves as a valuable resource for researchers, healthcare professionals, and individuals interested in exploring early perspectives and research on the effects of water-only fasting in humans.

These publications span a range of topics, including physiological effects, clinical applications, and historical reviews, that offer insights into the rich history and evolving understanding of fasting as a therapeutic intervention.

Calcium, magnesium, and phosphate balances during very low calorie diets of soy or collagen protein in obese men: comparison to total fasting

Fisler, J. S., Drenick, E. J.
Am J Clin Nutr 1984
Abstract

In 30 obese men, calcium, magnesium, and phosphate balances were measured for 40 days using one of four weight reducing regimens: 1) 400 kcal soy protein; 2) 400 kcal collagen protein; 3) total fasting with potassium; and 4) total fasting without potassium. Relationship of the minerals to each other and to nitrogen and to the QTc interval was also examined. All groups were in negative… Read More

Artifactual elevation of serum creatinine level due to fasting

Mascioli, S. R., Bantle, J. P., Freier, E. F., Hoogwerf, B. J.
Arch Intern Med 1984
Abstract

Abnormal serum creatinine (1.6 mg/dL) and creatinine clearance (33 mL/min) levels found in a 50-year-old woman during fasting were corrected with refeeding. Five healthy subjects who fasted for 96 hours demonstrated an increase in their mean serum creatinine level from 1.0 +/- 0.08 to 1.7 +/- 0.11 mg/dL as determined by Jaffe's method. This increase was probably an artifact caused by the… Read More

Catecholamine responses to hypocaloric diets and fasting in obese human subjects

Leiter, L. A., Grose, M., Yale, J. F., Marliss, E. B.
Am J Physiol 1984
Abstract

Catecholamines have multiple metabolic and fluid-electrolyte as well as cardiovascular effects, and their levels in plasma respond to alterations in nutrient and sodium intakes. Plasma norepinephrine, epinephrine, and dopamine were measured in 12 obese nondiabetic subjects before and after 400 kcal/day diets of either protein or glucose, followed by total fasting, and then by hypocaloric… Read More

Energy metabolism during exercise in normal subjects undergoing total starvation

Elia, M., Lammert, O., Zed, C., Neale, G.
Hum Nutr Clin Nutr 1984
Abstract

Energy expenditure and the circulating concentration of various intermediary metabolites, insulin and glucagon, were measured in five lean subjects at rest and during a 20-min period of a standardized exercise (50-75 watts). Measurements were made before starvation, at the end of a 4-d period of total starvation and 24-32 h after refeeding. The respiratory quotient decreased in all subjects… Read More

Rapid adaptations of serum thyrotrophin, triiodothyronine and reverse triiodothyronine levels to short-term starvation and refeeding

Hugues, J. N., Burger, A. G., Pekary, A. E., Hershman, J. M.
Acta Endocrinol (Copenh) 1984
Abstract

Nutrition influences thyroid function at the level of TSH secretion, at the level of monodeiodination, and possibly elsewhere. In order to study the effect of starvation on TSH secretion, 8 healthy male volunteers fasted for 30 h and were then refed with 800 kcal. Refeeding was performed at 19.00 h and blood was sampled at 20 min intervals until midnight. Control experiments were performed in… Read More

Effect of starvation and elective surgery on hand dynamometry and circulating concentration of various proteins

Elia, M., Martin, S., Price, C., Hallworth, M. J., Neale, G.
Clin Nutr 1984
Abstract

The effect of 4 days total starvation (water only) in five normal subjects on the circulating concentrations of various proteins was studied. Changes in plasma albumin and total protein concentrations were compared with those of six patients undergoing elective abdominal surgery with partial starvation and six patients undergoing orthopaedic surgery with adequate feeding - (0.126-0.146 MJ/kg/… Read More

Effect of long-term starvation on acetate and ketone body metabolism in obese patients

Seufert, C. D., Mewes, W., Soeling, H. D.
Eur J Clin Invest 1984
Abstract

The turnover of ketone bodies and acetate was evaluated as well from the disappearance rate of (3-14C)acetoacetate or (1-14C)acetate respectively as from the conversion of FFA into these metabolites in normal weight and obese overnight-fasted and in obese long-term starved patients. The disappearance rate of (1-14C)oleate was the same in all three groups. Long-term starvation enhanced ketone… Read More

Mineral metabolism during short-term starvation in man

Elia, M., Crozier, C., Neale, G.
Clin Chim Acta 1984
Abstract

Plasma and urine electrolytes were measured in five healthy non-obese young adults before, during and after a four-day period of total starvation (distilled water only). Plasma sodium, chloride and bicarbonate concentrations decreased in all subjects by a mean value of 4 mmol/l, whereas the sum of acetoacetate and hydroxybutyrate concentrations increased by 4-6 mmol/l. These changes occurred… Read More

Variations of thyroid hormones during total fasting in obese and in obese diabetic subjects

Marugo, M., Bagnasco, M., Contessini, M., Bessarione, D., Schenone, F., Mignone, D., Bernasconi, D., Mazzocchi, G., Giusti, M.
J Endocrinol Invest 1984
Abstract

Fasting and hypocaloric diets are known to induce a reduction of triiodothyronine (T3) and to increase reverse triiodothyronine (rT3) in normal and obese subjects. The effect of 8-day fasting was evaluated on T3, thyroxine (T4), free T4, rT3, TSH, immunoreactive insulin (IRI), thyroxine binding globulin (TBG) and glycemia in 21 obese subjects (5 males, 16 females) grouped according to the… Read More

Effects of four-day fast on triglyceride mobilization in human adipocytes

Andrews, J., Kashiwagi, A., Verso, M. A., Vasquez, B., Howard, B. V., Foley, J. E.
Int J Obes 1984
Abstract

To examine the effect of a four-day fast on neutral glyceride mobilization in human adipocytes, subcutaneous abdominal fat tissue was obtained from ten human volunteers after an overnight fast and then after four days of fasting. Plasma insulin concentration decreased from 31 +/- 5 microU/ml before the four-day fast to 9 +/- 1 microU/ml after the fast (P less than 0.05). Plasma free fatty acid… Read More