Influence of various intermittent fasting regimens on body weight and glycemic control in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

H. Alfheeaid, A. Alhowail, F. Ahmed, A. Zaki, A. Alkhaldy

Department of Food Science and Human Nutrition, College of Agriculture and Veterinary Medicine, Qassim University, Buraydah, Saudi Arabia. h.alfheeaid@qu.edu.sa

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• Diabetes

OBJECTIVE: This study aims to compare the effects of various intermittent fasting (IF) regimens, i.e., time-restricted fasting (TRF), alternate day fasting (ADF), and periodic fasting (PF) on body weight, glycemic control and associated metabolic parameters in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

MATERIALS AND METHODS: Sixty male Sprague-Dawley rats (aged 3 months) were randomly assigned to the normal control (NC), diabetic control (DC), TRF, ADF, and PF groups. Type 2 diabetes was induced in all groups, except for the NC group, by intramuscular administration of streptozotocin (55 mg/kg). The IF interventions were administered for 6 weeks.

RESULTS: The rats in all the groups, except for the NC group, exhibited significant weight loss (31.4%, 46.4%, 31.0%, and 33.9% in the DC, TRF, ADF, and PF groups, respectively). The fasting blood glucose levels decreased to varying degrees, with the PF group showing the most significant decrease (77.0%), followed by the ADF (55.0%) and TRF (32.2%) groups. The plasma insulin levels were significantly lower in the experimental groups than in the NC group, but no significant effects were observed on the lipid profile.

CONCLUSIONS: The study findings indicate that while the IF protocols led to body weight loss, they exhibited varying effects on glycemic control and other metabolic parameters.

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