Immunomodulatory Effects of Fasting in Healthy Adults
Trial Parameters
Brief Summary
This is a clinical trial assessing the effects of fasting on the immune system in healthy adults. Immune profiling, gene expression profiling, and flow cytometry on peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) will be performed and we hypothesize that a period of fasting will alter the immune system in healthy adults.
Eligibility Criteria
Inclusion Criteria: * Age: 20-40 years, to constitute a young study population * Gender: male subjects, to control for gender differences * BMI: 19-27 kg/m2 to constitute a normal/healthy weight population * Weight: 120 lbs or more * Fasting glucose: 70-100 mg/dL, to ensure that fasting can be tolerated without inducing dangerously low levels of blood glucose * Subjects must be willing to undergo a period of 36 hours of water-only fasting * Subjects must be willing to collect samples of each bowel movement produced throughout the entire study period for microbiome analysis * Subjects must be willing to collect blood pricks for blood glucose levels using a Contour Next One Blood Glucose Testing Kit during the fasting stage of the study protocol. Exclusion Criteria: * Current smoking * Anemia * Pregnancy or current breastfeeding * Chronic diseases including diabetes mellitus, thyroid disease, metabolic syndrome, cancer, or previous cardiovascular events * Gastrointestinal diseases includ