Effects of fasting on bodies

Fasting has become a popular tendency, particularly for people who expect to lose weight, but a new investigation of the British Columbia University (UBC Okanagan), in Canada, suggests that the fast does not have the same effect on all body types, and are different in people with obesity than in thin.

Fasting as part of a ketogenic diet (very low in carbohydrates) is becoming more popular, since people seek to burn fat stored as a fuel source to obtain energy when their bodies have few carbohydrates.

The doctor Hashim Islam, Professor at the Faculty of Health Sciences and the exercise of the UBCO and at the Center for the Prevention and Management of Chronic Diseases, says that fasting and low carbohydrate meals can benefit many people, but the effects may be different for people with obesity.

“These dietary tendencies continue to gain popularity,” he recognizes, “but our study revealed that people with obesity can respond to fasting differently from the thinnest people, especially in the reaction of their immune system.”

The doctor Helena Neudorf, Main author of study, published in ‘Isncence’, points out that scientists also value fasting because it makes the body burn carbohydrates to burn fat while producing ketones, and can improve health by changing metabolism to strengthen the immune system and reduce chronic inflammation, which is linked to many diseases.

“However, we wanted to discover if fasting affects metabolism and immune system differently in obese people compared to thin,” he says.

The research team submitted people with obesity and other thin to a fast of 48 hours. Participants provided blood samples before, during and after fasting so that researchers could measure hormones, metabolites, metabolic rate, inflammation and activity of T lymphocytes (white blood cells that fight infections, but can also cause chronic inflammation).

The study, led by Dr. Islam’s research groups and Professor Jonathan Little at the Center for the Prevention and Management of Chronic Diseases of the UBCO, discovered that people with obesity had more pro -inflammatory T lymphocytes and continued to produce inflammatory signals, even after fasting. This same group also presented a lower increase in ketones and lower levels of important chemical reactions related to immune regulation, such as the union of ketones to amino acids or proteins.

“We also discovered that the immune cells of thin participants adapted to fasting burning more fat. This did not happen in those who suffered from obesity,” says Neudorf-. In general, their transition to a more balanced anti-inflammatory state was weaker in this particular group. “

Dr. Islam adds that fasting can have health benefits, but obesity seems reduce its effects on metabolism and immune system.

“People with obesity can respond differently to a two-day isolated fasting compared to the thinnest people, but we still do not know if this is beneficial or harmful, ” subbed-our study demonstrates the complex relationship between nutrition, metabolism and immune function, and that more research is needed to determine how fasting can be used as a therapeutic tool for people with different complexions.”