Fasting Literature Database

24 young, military subjects participated in a ranger training course of 5 days' duration with prolonged, heavy physical exercise and sleep deprivation. The subjects were divided into two groups showing either large calorie deficiency or nearly isocaloric status. An oral glucose tolerance test was performed on the subjects on day 5 on the course and in a control experiment 8 weeks after… Read More

Twenty patients with arthritis and various skin diseases were studied on a metabolic ward during a 2-week period of modified fast followed by a 3-week period of vegetarian diet. During fasting, arthralgia was less intense in many subjects. In some types of skin diseases (pustulosis palmaris et plantaris and atopic eczema) an improvement could be demonstrated during the fast. During the vegan… Read More

During the first 10 d of a total fast the changes in a series of cognitive parameters: short-term memory, long-term memory, speed of information processing, vigilance, and mental control were tested in 14 obese inpatients and compared with a control group. Ten days of fasting induced no detrimental changes. An improvement in the subtest 'Repetition of digits' was interpreted as… Read More

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

Five obese subjects were studied when they were on a 3.35 MJ (800 kcal)-diet, 1.67 MJ (400 kcal) diet and during total starvation. Urine excretion of sodium and dopamine and plasma renin activity (PRA) and plasma aldosterone levels were measured. Urine sodium excretion increased from 88 +/- 9.8 mmol/d before starvation to 150 +/- 15.7 mmol/d on day 4 of starvation. Dopamine excretion increased… Read More

Retrospective examination of weekly electrocardiograms of 13 patients on zero calorie intake for 97 +/- 25.4 d (mean +/- standard deviation) for morbid obesity demonstrated a significant progressive reduction in QRS voltage by the seventh week. There was a significant prolongation of the QTc interval in the group during the eighth week and in seven patients the QTc had lengthened beyond normal… 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