Basic Science and Experimental StudyChronic Alternate-Day Fasting Results in Reduced Diastolic Compliance and Diminished Systolic Reserve in Rats
Section snippets
Methods
All animal procedures were approved by the National Institute on Aging Animal Care and Use Committee. Four-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 40) were randomly assigned to be fed either every day (AL group, n = 20) or to alternate-day fasting (ADF group, n = 20) with a standard rat diet (NIH-07, Harlan Teklad, Indianapolis, IN). These feeding regimens lasted 6 months. Echocardiographic assessment of cardiac morphometry and function was conducted before assigning rats to a specific diet and
Body Weight
During the 6 months of observation, the body mass in AL increased by 28% (P < .001). Consistent with the reduced average weekly food consumption, the rate of weight gain in ADF rats was significantly attenuated, and at the end of the 6-month diet period (when rats were 10 months old), the weight of rats in the ADF group increased by only 6% (Fig. 1).
Echocardiography
During the 6-month experimental period, end-systolic volume (ESV) increased by 49% (P < .001) similarly in both the AL and ADF diet groups (Fig. 2
Discussion
The present results have uncovered a striking deleterious effect of cardiac structure and function in rats maintained on an ADF diet compared with rats on the usual AL diet. Chronic ADF resulted in reduction of cardiomyocyte size and increased myocardial fibrosis. The fibrotic ADF hearts manifested diastolic dysfunction at rest and a diminished diastolic and systolic reserve capacity: during a volume/dobutamine stress, the ADF heart was unable to increase its filling volume, despite a greater
Acknowledgments
Authors are grateful to Dr. Paul Chantler for assisting with allometric scaling for body weight, to Ms. Veena Shetty for statistical help, and to Ms. Tina Turner and Mrs. Shannon Marshall for technical assistance.
Disclosures
None.
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2013, Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular DiseasesCitation Excerpt :Of note, some data suggest that a specific type of fasting—alternate day fasting—may not be beneficial. A six month study of alternate day fasting among rats showed increased myocardial fibrosis, reduced cardiac reserve, and increased left atrial diameter [38]. Although left ventricular size and ejection fraction were unchanged, the adverse effects related to diastolic dysfunction should not be overlooked.
Fully funded by Intramural Research Program, National Institute on Aging.
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