What is the effect of fasting on the lifespan of neurons?

Alternate day fasting and time-restricted feeding may confer similar neuroprotective effects during aging in male rats

Age associated neurodegenerative changes are acknowledged to play a causative role in a majority of neurological diseases that accompany aging in organisms. To alleviate the deteriorative effects of aging in the brain, we investigated the effects oftwo types of intermittent fasting (IF) methods: alternate day fasting (ADF) and time- restricted feeding (TRF) in young (3 months) and old (24 months) in male Wistar rats comparing the results with age matched controls. The evaluation of biomarkers of oxidative stress showed significant decline in the old (ADF and TRF) groups in addition to up regulation in antioxidant levels. It was observed that ADF and TRF methods helped reduce ROS accumulation in the mitochondria and increased the activity of the electron transport chain complexes especially C-I and III. Gene expression analysis of autophagy genes like beclin and LC3B showed upregulated expression in ADF and TRF group. Sirtuin1 expression too significantly increased during fasting in both young and old groups showing fasting induced protection from aging. Histological analysis of sections of cerebral cortex and CA1 area provide evidence that fasting protected neurons against degeneration with age. Our results prompt us to conclude that the efficacy of these fasting methods ADF and TRF are reliable anti- aging strategies with respect to dietary restriction interventions. Moreover, both these methods compete closely in conferring protection from oxidative stress and inducing neuroprotective changes in brain of aged rats when compared to their young counterparts.

Time restricted feeding provides a viable alternative to alternate day fasting when evaluated in terms of redox homeostasis in rats

Intermittent fasting (IF) is a non-pharmacological dietary approach for intervening into aging in different organisms. We evaluated the efficacy of time restricted dietary regimen and alternate-day fasting in rats by measuring redox parameters which are frequently used as signature biomarkers of aging. Wistar rats (8 months) were divided into three groups of six rats each. Group I: Control; Group II: Time-restricted feeding (TRF) (fed and fasted at a ratio of 16:8 h respectively) and Group III. Alternate day feeding (ADF) (fed and fasted on alternate days), for a period of 1 month. The biomarkers of antioxidant defense and oxidative stress: FRAP, GSH, PMRS, ROS, AGE, MDA, PCO, AOPP, TNF-α and IL-6, were determined. Our results suggest that, based on predominant aging biomarkers, TRF has a similar effect on rats compared with ADF evaluated in terms of redox homeostasis. Observed results defend our purpose that the ADF and TRF methods are reliable dietary restriction regimens and subsequently improve the metabolic profile and redox homeostasis in rats.

Sargassum hystrix as a Source of Functional Food to Improve Blood Biochemistry Profiles of Rats under Stress

This study was conducted to determine the influence of Sargassum hystrix powder (SHP) as an alternative source of functional food for treating in vivo stress by measuring levels of glucose, triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, and cortisol, and liver histopathology. Wistar rats aged 3 months and weighing 150~200 g were divided into 7 groups: normal control, fasting control, negative control (stress without adaptogen), and 4 experimental conditions (stress+0.18 mg/kg diazepam, stress+450 mg/kg pellet, stress+mixture of pellet with SHP 450 mg/kg, and stress+450 mg/kg of SHP). Intake of liquids and and body weight were measured daily. Blood samples were collected on day 0 (baseline), day 5, and day 10 to analyze levels of glucose, triacylglycerol, cholesterol, and cortisol. On day 10, rats were euthanized and livers were collected to observe the severity of inflammation. The results indicated that rats receiving SHP 450 mg/kg and the mixture of pellet with SHP 450 mg/kg showed a similar ability as those receiving diazepam 0.18 mg/kg to cope with stress, indicated by an improvement in all blood biochemistry parameters. Supplementation with SHP 450 mg/kg can be used as an alternative source of functional food for overcoming oxidative stress, as indicated by its ability to improve levels of blood glucose, triacylglycerol, total cholesterol, and cortisol, and to improve liver histology by decreasing severity of liver inflammation.