Intermittent fasting and dietary supplementation with 2-deoxy-D-glucose improve functional and metabolic cardiovascular risk factors in rats.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Animal research with no human data
PubMed 12709404 · doi:10.1096/fj.02-0996fje
What was done
Four-month-old male rats were implanted with telemetry probes to continuously record heart rate, blood pressure, physical activity, and body temperature. They were maintained for 6 months on one of three dietary regimens: ad libitum feeding, intermittent fasting (IF), or dietary supplementation with 2-deoxy-D-glucose (2DG, a non-metabolizable glucose analog). Serum glucose, insulin, adrenocorticotropin, and corticosterone levels were also measured.
What was found
Rats on the IF regimen consumed 30% less food over time and had reduced body weights compared to ad libitum controls, whereas 2DG-supplemented rats maintained food intake and body weight. Both IF and 2DG groups showed significant reductions in heart rate and blood pressure within 1 month that persisted throughout the 6 months. Body temperature decreased significantly in the IF group but not the 2DG group. Both IF and 2DG significantly decreased serum glucose and insulin levels, and both significantly increased plasma adrenocorticotropin and corticosterone levels. The abstract reports no exact numerical values, variance, or p-values.
Why it matters
This study suggests that intermittent fasting improves metabolic and cardiovascular risk factors in rats, and that a chemical glycolytic inhibitor (2DG) can mimic these hemodynamic and insulin-sensitizing benefits without requiring caloric restriction or weight loss.
Limits
The study was conducted exclusively in male rats, limiting direct applicability to humans. The abstract omits sample sizes (n) and all exact quantitative values, baseline measures, and effect sizes. Long-term safety and tolerability of 2DG were not fully characterized beyond the measured endpoints.
Cited by
- supports Intermittent fasting reduces resting heart rate and blood pressure.
- supports In rats, daily 30% calorie restriction or every-other-day fasting reduces resting heart rate and blood pressure within 2 to 4 weeks, which returns to baseline within a month of resuming ad libitum feeding.