HNF4
Intermittent fasting has been the latest fad in dieting, with several claims that it’s good for your health. Yet, there hasn’t been much scientific evidence to back these allegations.
Mark Larance, a researcher leading a University of Sydney research project on the effects of intermittent fasting, said:
“We know that fasting can be an effective intervention to treat disease and improve liver health. But we haven’t known how fasting reprograms liver proteins, which perform a diverse array of essential metabolic functions.”
The new study, however, finally sheds some insight into the matter.
The Study
- The team put mice on an every-other-day-fasting (EODF) regime – which involves fasting for 24 hours and being able to eat for 24 hours – for 12 days straight.
- They monitored the metabolic effects of fasting on the liver only.
The Results
- After the experiment was over, there was an increase in fatty acid synthesis enzymes in the organ and mitochondrial proteins associated with increased fatty acid oxidation.
- The outcome is better when the fasting cycle is repeated.
Larance said:
“It’s the fasting period itself that is causing the benefit, the molecular changes. The line between alternate-day feeding or time-restricted feeding is a very grey area. If you’re fasting for 16 hours you may have the same effect as 24 hours. We chose 24 hours … to standardize the intervention.”
- During fasting periods, a protein called HNF4-(alpha) becomes inactive. This was a discovery never reported before.
Larance said:
“For the first time, we showed that HNF4-(alpha) is inhibited during intermittent fasting. This has downstream consequences, such as lowering the abundance of blood proteins in inflammation or affecting bile synthesis. This helps explain some of the previously known facts fasting.
What’s really exciting is that this new knowledge about the role of HNF4-(alpha) means it could be possible to mimic some of the effects of intermittent fasting through the development of liver-specific HNF4-(alpha) regulators.”
Medicinal Implications
These new findings provide the possibility of developing a drug that could target this protein, thus recreating the effects of fasting on the liver without having to fast.
Health Benefits
Intermittent fasting may help people avoid diabetes, cancer, heart disease, and obesity. It decreases levels of insulin, increases levels of human growth hormone in men, and increases the release of the fat-burning hormone norepinephrine (noradrenaline). The hormonal changes may increase your metabolic rate by 3.6–14%. However, fasting for longer than 36 hours has the opposite effect.
It also helps reduce inflammation by making monocyte cells less active. Monocytes are standing guard in case we ingest any dangerous microorganisms, but when we overeat, it causes them to go into overdrive.
Can Anyone Try Intermitted Fasting?
If you have the following health conditions, intermittent fasting may not be suitable for you:
- Diabetes
- Low blood pressure
- Take medications
- Underweight
- Eating disorders
- Are trying to conceive
- Amenorrhea
Also, if you are an athlete who trains very hard or at different times of the day throughout the week, intermittent fasting may cause fatigue or muscle loss.
Conclusion
Most people can benefit from repeated intermittent fasting cycles. Studies have shown it to help reduce the risk of several diseases. The latest discovery revealed a protein that may be mostly responsible for how intermittent fasting improves liver health, but more studies are needed to know precisely why. If you are considering giving it a try, consult with your doctor first if you have any medical condition. If you are taking medications, trying to get pregnant, pregnant, or breastfeeding, you shouldn’t do it.
