Editor's Recommendation: Large-scale clinical trials have confirmed that short-term fasting is safe and can enhance anti-tumor immunity.
In recent years, fasting has become a very popular way to lose weight, and many people claim on social networks that it is the best way to lose weight.
It is worth noting that a growing body of scientific research shows that fasting is more beneficial to health than weight loss, improves metabolic health, and promotes the treatment of diseases such as diabetes and cancer.
On November 17, 2021, researchers at the University of Milan in Italy published a research paper titled "Mimicking a Fasted Diet is Safe and Reshapes The Metabolism and Anti-Tumor Immunity of Cancer Patients" in Cancer Discovery, a top academic journal in the field of cancer.
Conclusion: In cancer patients receiving standard therapy, short-term, strict calorie restriction fasting is safe and feasible, which can reduce blood glucose and growth factor concentrations, reduce peripheral blood immunosuppressive cells, and enhance T cell infiltration within tumors. Thereby regulating the metabolism of tumor patients and improving anti-tumor immune function.
Preclinical studies have shown that strict caloric restriction in the form of short-term fasting or a simulated fasting diet (FMD), combined with standard drug therapy, has a powerful anti-cancer effect. However, to date, the safety and biological effects of calorie restriction in cancer patients have not been adequately studied.
Dr Claudio Vernieri, lead author of the study, said: "Our first human clinical trial results suggest that a strict short-term calorie restriction fasting regimen is safe for patients and is biologically active, which may activate the immune response. We think these findings could make sense for cancer treatment. ”
For the study, the study enrolled 101 patients of different types of tumors who received anti-cancer treatment of different criteria.
The team designed a simulated fasting diet (FMD): a low-carbohydrate, low-protein vegetarian diet that provides a total of 1,800 kcal in five days of fasting, 600 kcal on the first day, 600 kcal on the second day, 300 kcal on the 3rd and 4th day, and a total of 1,800 kcal in 5 days.
After a simulated fasting cycle, patients enter a recovery period of 16-23 days, during which they are not subject to specific dietary restrictions but are advised to follow international guidelines for healthy eating and lifestyle.
Repeat the fasting cycle every three or four weeks for up to eight consecutive times.
In a statistical analysis of all patients involved in fasting, the success rate of the fasting trial was 91.8%, reaching its primary safety endpoint.
Within 5 days of strict calorie restrictions, weight loss during feeding is reversible in most patients.
The incidence of simulated fasting-related adverse events was 12.9%, with fatigue being the most common but generally less severe.
These results suggest that short-term strict calorie restriction is safe, feasible, and well tolerated for most patients, regardless of tumor type and anti-tumor treatment modality.
Dr. Filippo de Braud, co-corresponding author of the study, commented: "This is a particularly important finding because it excludes the risk that patients may experience progressive weight loss or malnutrition, which is associated with reduced efficacy of anti-cancer treatments, and reduced efficacy of anti-cancer treatments is associated with reduced survival. ”
At the same time, the researchers also assessed the effects of simulated fasting on the patient's metabolic and immune responses. In 99 assessable patients, the simulated fasting regimen reduced median blood glucose concentrations by 18.6%, serum insulin by 50.7%, and serum IGF-1 by 30.3%, and these changes remained stable over 8 consecutive cycles.
Dr Claudio Vernieri said: "The metabolic changes we observed in patients were similar to those caused by calorie restriction in preclinical models, and they were associated with effective anti-tumor effects. ”
In addition, in an analysis of 38 patients after a 5-day simulated fasting cycle, the researchers found that the patients' circulating immunosuppressed myeloid cell subset decreased significantly, and the activated CD8+ T cells increased.
Both effects were not related to combination anti-tumor therapy — a phenomenon the researchers observed in a small group of healthy volunteers.
This is because strict caloric restriction creates metabolic "shocks" that activate immune cell populations, thereby increasing the anti-tumor activity of standard anti-tumor therapies.
To study the effects of simulated fasting diets on immunity within tumors, the research team conducted an interim analysis of another ongoing trial that simulated a 5-day fasting period 7 to 10 days before surgery in patients with early-stage breast cancer and melanoma.
The analysis showed a significant increase in tumor invasive CD8+ T cells, suggesting a functional transition in the anti-tumor immune microenvironment after simulated fasting.
The above research results show that the simulated fasting diet is beneficial to the metabolic health of cancer patients and enhances the body's anti-tumor ability. Good immunomodulatory effects were observed throughout the body and at tumor levels.
Finally, the team said new clinical trials have recently begun to understand whether calorie restriction leads to metabolic and immune effects that improve the efficacy of anti-tumor therapies and extend the life expectancy of cancer patients.
This dietary method was invented by Professor Walter Longo of the University of Southern California. 5 days for a cycle, a month only need to complete one cycle. Specifically, calorie intake: 11-16 calories per kilogram of body weight on day 1; 7-11 calories per kilogram of body weight on 2-5 days.
Food composition: Day 1 10% protein + 56% fat + 34% carbohydrates; day 2-5 9% protein + 44% fat + 47% carbohydrates.
Of course, the food here is not chosen haphazardly. Vegetables, fruits and nuts are the main ingredients. Vegetables can be made into salads, stews or soups. They are bulky and low in calories. Fats are provided by olive oil, protein is provided by nuts, and carbohydrates are provided by small amounts of sugar and honey.
On the sixth day you can resume a normal diet, but pay attention to the transition, prevent the digestive system from overloading, and don't eat too much sugar and meat right away.
Reference: https://cancerdiscovery.aacrjournals.org/content/early/2021/11/11/2159-8290.CD-21-0030
Source: medicaltrend
Disclaimer: Kanga is committed to the dissemination of health knowledge, the content is edited according to public information, the copyright belongs to the original author; if there is infringement, please leave a message online to delete. The article aims to introduce the progress of health science and cannot be used as a treatment plan; if you need accurate health guidance, please go to a regular hospital for diagnosis and treatment.