One size does not fit all, especially while choosing your diet pattern. A popular diet pattern embraced by many for weight loss and other metabolic benefits is now under scrutiny as researchers suggest that it may be harmful to teenagers.
The diet pattern in question is intermittent fasting, also known as time-restricted eating, which involves alternating between periods of fasting and eating. Studies have shown that this eating pattern is beneficial for weight loss, cardiovascular health, and preventing diabetes.
However, little is known about its potential side effects, particularly how the diet affects the long-term health of young adults. In a recent study conducted in mice, researchers found that long-term intermittent fasting (around 10 weeks) affected insulin production in young mice, resembling early-stage Type 1 diabetes in humans.
The researchers also noted that the same diet, when applied to older mice for a similar period, improved insulin sensitivity, allowing them to respond better to insulin produced by the pancreas, crucial for regulating blood sugar levels and preventing conditions like Type 2 diabetes.
“Intermittent fasting is usually thought to benefit beta cells, so we were surprised to find that young mice produced less insulin after the extended fasting,” said co-lead author Leonardo Matta in a news release.
The cell level analysis of the pancreas in younger mice showed that the beta cells responsible for producing insulin did not mature properly due to long-term intermittent fasting. In contrast, the older mice, whose beta cells had already matured before they began fasting, were not affected by the diet. This means that the maturity of the cells before the fasting period could affect the way bodies respond to intermittent fasting.
Meanwhile, the study results also indicate that short-term fasting for 5 weeks was beneficial for all ages. Hence the researcher suggests considering the duration of intermittent fasting in younger adults to reduce the risk of diabetes.
“Our study confirms that intermittent fasting is beneficial for adults, but it might come with risks for children and teenagers. The next step is digging deeper into the molecular mechanisms underlying these observations. If we better understand how to promote healthy beta cell development, it will open new avenues for treating diabetes by restoring insulin production,” said researcher Stephan Herzig, a professor at the Technical University of Munich.
