Assessing the Effects of Intermittent Fasting and Calorie Restriction on the Gut Microbiome
Evidence shows that the gut microbiome’s composition greatly affects long-term health, similar to diet and exercise choices. Aging alters the balance of microbial species, favoring harmful ones over beneficial ones. Understanding how fasting and calorie restriction impact the gut microbiome can help slow age-related changes in these populations. Researchers are studying how fasting and calorie restriction influence the behavior and balance of gut microbiome populations. The featured study is an example of this ongoing research.
Nutritional input is a key regulator of the gut microbiome and weight status, holding promise for treating metabolic dysregulation. The GM adapts its growth and diversity in response to nutrient availability and population density, influenced by caloric restriction (CR) and intermittent fasting (IF). The study combines protein pacing (P) with CR and IF, showing distinct fecal microbial and plasma metabolomic signatures between the interventions. By comparing a heart-healthy CR diet with a calorie-restricted IF-P diet, the study suggests improvements in gut health markers and metabolism markers favoring fat oxidation with IF-P. The findings indicate the role of gut microbiome and metabolomic factors in weight loss maintenance and body composition, with potential implications for precision nutrition recommendations.
