Fasting as a Multisystem Health Modulator: A Narrative Review of Metabolic, Cardiovascular, Immune, Neurocognitive, and Psychospiritual Effects.
Level 5 - mechanism / opinion, no new human data
Narrative review synthesizing mechanistic and clinical literature without systematic search or meta-analytic methodology
PubMed 41499051 · doi:10.1007/s13668-025-00725-1
What was done
This narrative review synthesized experimental and human clinical data evaluating various fasting regimens—including intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, Ramadan fasting, alternate-day fasting, periodic fasting, dry fasting, and fasting-mimicking diets—across metabolic, cardiovascular, immune, gut-liver-microbiome, neurocognitive, endocrine, and psychospiritual domains.
What was found
The abstract reports no numerical data, effect sizes, or statistical metrics. Qualitatively, diverse fasting patterns were reported to activate energy-sensing pathways (AMPK-SIRT1-mTOR), enhance autophagy/mitophagy, stimulate lipolysis and ketogenesis, improve insulin sensitivity, and modulate immune and inflammatory activity. Fasting was described as improving blood pressure, lipid profiles, neurotrophic signaling, mood, and cognitive resilience, though individual responses vary and intensive regimens present potential risks in vulnerable populations.
Why it matters
The paper proposes an integrated conceptual framework linking biological mechanisms (circadian, metabolic, and immune signaling) with psychological and faith-based fasting practices to inform integrative and preventive health strategies.
Limits
The review is narrative rather than systematic, with no reported search criteria, study selection protocol, or risk-of-bias evaluation. No quantitative effect estimates or participant numbers are provided in the abstract. The broad grouping of distinct fasting regimens complicates comparisons across clinical populations.
Cited by
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