Researchers from the Yale School of Medicine have found that a compound produced by the body when he or she is dieting or fasting can alter the immune system involved in many inflammatory disorders like type 2 diabetes, atherosclerosis and even Alzheimer's disease.
In their study, which was published in the online issue of Nature Medicine, they described the compound called β-hydroxybutyrate (BHB). It can inhibit NLRP3, which is part of a complex set of proteins called the inflammasome. Inflammasomes are key signalling platforms that identify pathogenic microorganisms and sterile stressors, and that activate the highly pro-inflammatory cytokines. It boost the inflammatory response in many conditions like type 2 diabetes, Alzheimer's disease, atherosclerosis and other autoinflammatory disorders.
"These findings are important because endogenous metabolites like BHB that block the NLRP3 inflammasome could be relevant against many inflammatory diseases, including those where there are mutations in the NLRP3 genes," Vishwa Deep Dixit, professor in the Section of Comparative Medicine at Yale School of Medicine, told Yale News.
BHB is synthesized in the liver and produced in response to fasting, exercise and even caloric restriction. Also, it can be released when the person has a low-carbohydrate ketogenic diet. Professor Dixit reiterates that fasting and caloric restriction can reduce inflammation in the body.
The findings were incurred as a result of laboratory experiments with mice. They worked with mice and human immune cells and they analyzed how macrophages respond when they are exposed to ketone bodies.
They exposed mice which have inflammatory diseases to BHB and they discovered that it has dramatically reduced inflammation. They were also exposed to a ketogenic diet and it has reduced inflammation.
"Our results suggest that the endogenous metabolites like BsHB that are produced during low-carb dieting, fasting, or high-intensity exercise can lower the NLRP3 inflammasome," notes Dixit.
Other studies in the past give evidence on the health benefits of fasting and caloric restriction in the body. Aside from effective weight loss, it can reduce diseases like cardiovascular conditions and dementia.
In fact, in a study by Bronwen Martin, Mark Mattson, and Stuart Maudsley (2006), caloric restriction and intermittent fasting are two diets that promotes healthy and successful brain aging. According to their study, caloric restriction with intermittent fasting result in increased resistance and protection from oxidative, excitotoxic and metabolic stress and damages. It was revealed that fasting and caloric restriction poses a mild stress response in the body especially in the brain cells. They measured various proteins and lipids which are responsible in protecting the brain cells from different damages.
Aside from that, it promotes healthy aging. According to Stephen Anton and Christian Leeuwenburgh (2013), caloric restriction and intermittent fasting are the only non-genetic interventions that have been revealed to extend maximal life span of many species.
According to a study by Mark P. Mattson and Ruiqian Wan, this fasting and dieting increase resistance to age-related diseases by eliminating risk factors for coronary artery diseases and stroke.
