Abstract
BackgroundIt has recently been reported that intermittent fasting shapes the gut microbiota to benefit health, but this effect may be influenced to the exact fasting protocols. The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of different daily fasting hours on shaping the gut microbiota in mice. Healthy C57BL/6 J male mice were subjected to 12, 16 or 20 h fasting per day for 1 month, and then fed ad libitum for an extended month. Gut microbiota was analyzed by 16S rRNA gene-based sequencing and food intake was recorded as well.ResultsWe found that cumulative food intake was not changed in the group with 12 h daily fasting, but significantly decreased in the 16 and 20 h fasting groups. The composition of gut microbiota was altered by all these types of intermittent fasting. At genus level, 16 h fasting led to increased level of Akkermansia and decreased level of Alistipes, but these effects disappeared after the cessation of fasting. No taxonomic differences were identified in the other two groups.ConclusionsThese data indicated that intermittent fasting shapes gut microbiota in healthy mice, and the length of daily fasting interval may influence the outcome of intermittent fasting.
Highlights
It has recently been reported that intermittent fasting shapes the gut microbiota to benefit health, but this effect may be influenced to the exact fasting protocols
By profiling fecal bacterial community with 16S rRNA gene sequencing, we found that intermittent fasting altered the gut microbiota, and the effect was more robust in mice treated with daily 16 h fasting
We found that cumulative food intake during the period of fasting (30 days) was significantly reduced in the 16 and 20 h fasting groups compared to CTR (p < 0.0001), but was not changed in the 12 h group (Fig. 1b)
Summary
It has recently been reported that intermittent fasting shapes the gut microbiota to benefit health, but this effect may be influenced to the exact fasting protocols. A well-known intermittent fasting pattern is Ramadan fasting, which entails abstinence from eating and drinking from sunrise to sunset over a period of approximately 30 days during the month of Ramadan [7], and is being widely studied for its impact on human health and disease in population-based studies [8,9,10]. Another popular fasting pattern is every other day fasting, which has been shown to improve obesity and multiple sclerosis in experimental model through restoring
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