Fasting: From Physiology to Pathology

• Published in: Advanced science 2023-03, Vol.10 (9), p.e2204487-n/a
• Main Authors: Tang, Dongmei, Tang, Qiuyan, Huang, Wei, Zhang, Yuwei, Tian, Yan, Fu, Xianghui
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Adenosine; aging; Aging - physiology; Alzheimer's disease; Animals; Autophagy; Biological clocks; Body fat; Calories; Circadian rhythm; Diet; diseases; Fasting; Fasting - physiology; fasting‐mimicking diet; Humans; Insulin; Insulin-like growth factors; intermittent fasting; Kinases; Liver; Metabolic disorders; Microbiota; Neoplasms; Neurodegenerative Diseases; Overnutrition; Physiology; Review; Reviews; time‐restricted feeding
• ISSN: 2198-3844; 2198-3844
• DOI: 10.1002/advs.202204487

Overnutrition is a risk factor for various human diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic disorders, and cancers. Therefore, targeting overnutrition represents a simple but attractive strategy for the treatment of these increasing public health threats. Fasting as a dietary intervention for combating overnutrition has been extensively studied. Fasting has been practiced for millennia, but only recently have its roles in the molecular clock, gut microbiome, and tissue homeostasis and function emerged. Fasting can slow aging in most species and protect against various human diseases, including neurodegenerative diseases, metabolic disorders, and cancers. These centuried and unfading adventures and explorations suggest that fasting has the potential to delay aging and help prevent and treat diseases while minimizing side effects caused by chronic dietary interventions. In this review, recent animal and human studies concerning the role and underlying mechanism of fasting in physiology and pathology are summarized, the therapeutic potential of fasting is highlighted, and the combination of pharmacological intervention and fasting is discussed as a new treatment regimen for human diseases. Fasting is emerging as a simple but attractive strategy for fighting human diseases, including aging, cancer, neurodegenerative diseases, and metabolic disorders. This review provides an a timely overview of the role and mechanism of fasting in physiology and pathology, highlights the therapeutic potential of fasting, alone and in combination with pharmacological intervention, and discusses the current challenges and prospects.