Fasting

Fasting is the willful refrainment from eating. It can also refer to the metabolic status of a person who has not eaten overnight.  Fasting can be part of a religious ritual, preparation for a medical procedure or medical tests and, fasting can be part of a treatment protocol. Upton Sinclair author of The Fasting Cure was one of the first to claim fasting as a curative practice. Fasting kickstarts autophagy, clearing the body of toxins, plus diseased and disordered cells. During fasting, caloric restriction, or intermittent fasting, metabolic adjustments occur. Fasting can act as an anti-inflammatory process; can increase levels of neurotrophic factors such as BDNF; increase antioxidants and produce ketone bodies. During intermittent fasting the body reduces insulin production, and increases insulin sensitivity which could counteract the neurodegenerative process. By using a fasting mimicking diet, it is possible to promote a more favorable gut microbiota composition and metabolism. Fasting can be part of a program to promote a longer, healthier life. Whereas short-term fasting may be beneficial, long-term fasting can have negative health effects.

Source: Wikipedia

Could Intermittent Fasting/ Caloric Restriction/ Exercise Improve PD Status

This review was written by Dr. Mark P. Mattson of the John Hopkins University School of Medicine and published in the 2014 Journal of Parkinson’s Disease. It examines whether lifestyle changes that increase insulin sensitivity such as increased exercise and intermittent energy restriction (intermittent fasting)  could counteract neurodegenerative processes and improve functionality. Various studies on animal models seem to indicate that peripheral insulin resistance and midlife diabetes may increase the risk of PD. This review examines whether improved peripheral and brain energy metabolism, exercise, GLP-1 analogs, and intermittent energy restrictions (IER) could boost neuronal adaptive stress response pathways and ultimately enhance neurotrophic signaling, DNA repair, mitochondrial biogenesis, and proteostasis.

Interventions that Improve Body and Brain Bioenergetics for Parkinson’s Disease Risk Reduction and Therapy by Dr Mark Mattson
Mark Mattson in TED: fasting/caloric restriction/ intermittent fasting…help against neurodegenerative conditions

Could Fasting Help Control PD Symptoms?

This 2019 report in the National Library of Medicine (National Center for Biotechnology Information) looks at lifestyles and dietary habits associated with PD. A fasting mimicking diet (FMD), fasting 3 days followed by 4 days of refeeding for three 1-week cycles, which accelerated the retention of motor function and attenuated the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrathydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD mice. Levels of brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), known to promote the survival of dopaminergic neurons, were increased in PD mice after FMD, suggesting the involvement of BDNF in FMD-mediated neuroprotection. The findings showed that FMD also inhibited neuroinflammation and modulated the shifts in gut microbiota composition.

Source: Neuroprotection of Fasting Mimicking Diet on MPTP-Induced Parkinson’s Disease Mice via Gut Microbiota and Metabolites – PubMed

How Can Fasting Help you Live a Longer, Healthier Life?

In this Goop podcast chief content officer at Goop, Elise Loehnen talks to Valter Longo, author of the longevity diet, as part of a series on detox, nutrition, and resetting the body. Longo is also one of the world’s leading experts on fasting. During the interview, they tackle questions such as “Is intermittent fasting the key to health?” Longo proposes fasting as one of the elements that contribute to longevity and to a healthy life, avoiding the diseases that often plague the elderly. The podcast also addresses the research surrounding the connection between fasting and preventing autoimmune diseases and cancer as well as the idea of making fasting part of standard cancer treatment. Longo discusses clinical trials including seven clinical trials supporting FMD (Fasting Mimicking Diet).

Could Creating a Healthy Gut Using FMD Prevent or Treat PD?

A 2018 study published by the NIH looked at neuroprotection of the fasting mimicking diet (FMD) on MPTP-induced PD mice via gut microbiota and metabolites. During the study the mice were put on a diet of fasting 3 days followed by 4 days of refeeding for three 1-week cycles. This accelerated the retention of motor function and attenuated the loss of dopaminergic neurons in the substantia nigra in 1-methyl-4-phenyl-1,2,3,6-tetrathydropyridine (MPTP)-induced PD mice. The findings demonstrated that FMD can be a new means of preventing and treating PD through promoting a favorable gut microbiota composition and metabolites.

Source: Neuroprotection of Fasting Mimicking Diet on MPTP-Induced Parkinson’s Disease Mice via Gut Microbiota and Metabolites – PubMed