▲ New research findings have been published showing that an intermittent fasting program is effective in controlling systemic inflammation. (Photo = DB)
[메디컬투데이=한지혁 기자] A new study has revealed that an intermittent fasting program is effective in controlling systemic inflammation.
Research findings showing that intermittent fasting can help reduce systemic inflammation in addition to weight loss were published in the academic journal Cell Reports.
In recent years, intermittent fasting has been considered an effective dietary tool. By not consuming food for a period of time, the body uses stored fats and carbohydrates as sources of energy.
Inflammation directly causes various chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and obesity. Inflammation is originally the body’s defense mechanism to eliminate pathogens such as viruses and bacteria, but if the body’s normal cells or tissues are misrecognized as harmful, it can lead to autoimmune diseases such as type 1 diabetes and inflammatory disease intestinal.
In this study, researchers found that the high-calorie diet, known as the Western diet, is associated with a chronic inflammatory syndrome called metabolic inflammation. Metabolic inflammation is characterized by an increase in immune response proteins “IL-1β” and “NLRP3 inflammasome” and an increased level of systemic inflammation and underlies various chronic diseases.
The researchers collected serum samples from 21 intermittent fasting participants consuming a 500-kcal diet every 24 hours and observed changes in inflammatory markers in the blood. As a result of the analysis, the level of IL-1β in peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) in serum increased 3 hours after a meal, and the level of arachidonic acid in plasma increased during fasting and decreased after a meal.
The researchers reported that intermittent fasting participants had lower IL-1β levels and higher arachidonic acid levels than those following a normal diet. Arachidonic acid is a substance associated with anti-inflammatory effects by inhibiting phospholipase C and lowering NLRP3 activity.
They concluded that intermittent fasting helps suppress metabolic inflammation, characterized in particular by the suppression of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and NLRP3, which are closely related to the regulation of blood sugar levels through insulin.
[ⓒ 메디컬투데이. 무단전재-재배포 금지]
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