ArticleAging biology2023
When a Calorie Is Not a Calorie: Metabolic and Molecular Effects of Intermittent Fasting in Humans; Exploratory Outcomes of a Randomized Clinical Trial.
Article in Aging biology, 2023. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to trial NCT01964118 (Can Intermittent Fasting Mimic the Metabolic and Cardiovascular and Anti-aging Effects of Calorie Restriction?), which is not on this map. Cited by 5 papers.
What it found
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The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Can Intermittent Fasting Mimic the Metabolic and Cardiovascular and Anti-aging Effects of Calorie Restriction?
Who cites it
5 citing papers in PubMed.
- Cardiometabolic and molecular adaptations to 6-month intermittent fasting in middle-aged men and women with overweight: secondary outcomes of a randomized controlled trial.Nature communications · 2025Trial
- Intermittent fasting inhibits Tp53-driven glioma through gut microbiota-mediated methionine-mNature communications · 2026Article
- Perspectives on whole body and tissue-specific metabolic flexibility and implications in cardiometabolic diseases.Cell reports. Medicine · 2025Review
- Genetic regulation of fasting-induced longevity effects.bioRxiv : the preprint server for biology · 2025Article
- Review
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
11 authors.
Funding
Abstract
Intermittent fasting (IF) extends healthspan and lifespan in rodents and has been associated with metabolic benefits in humans, yet results so far have been inconsistent. In this study, we tested the effects of IF-induced weight loss on metabolic and molecular determinants of healthy aging. We performed a randomized clinical trial with a partial cross-over design in overweight men and women (30-65 y, average 49.3 ± 8.2 y) to test the effects of six-month IF (NCT01964118). Fifty participants were randomized to the IF (n = 28) or usual diet (n = 22) group. The primary outcome was the assessment of change in serum C-reactive protein levels from baseline to six months; secondary outcomes were changes in insulin sensitivity using oral glucose tolerance test (OGTT)-based indexes, and plasma metabolomics and gene expression changes in colon mucosa. No difference in serum levels of C-reactive protein or multiple cytokines and chemokines was observed over this period, despite a significant IF-induced 8% weight loss. IF caused a statistically significant but clinically irrelevant small improvement in OGTT-derived insulin sensitivity indexes. Preliminary multi-omic data analysis suggests that a nonlinear relationship exists between IF-induced weight loss and inhibition of multiple key nutrient-sensing aging pathways. More trials are needed to understand the impact of different degrees of energy restriction on metabolic and molecular health in humans, and how fasting should be complemented with diet quality changes during feast days to maximize clinical and longevity outcomes.
Identifiers
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.