Gender-specific effects of alternate-day fasting on body weight, oxidative stress, and metabolic health in middle-aged rats

Abstract

Purpose: The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of alternate-day fasting (ADF) concerning sex as well as its function in systemic and tissue-level oxidative stress alterations associated with aging. Materials and methods: Forty-two female (n=21) and male (n=21) Wistar rats (aged 16 months) were separated into six groups (n=7 each): Group-1 (control-male), Group-2 (1-month, ADF-male), Group-3 (2-month, ADFmale), Group-4 (control-female), Group-5 (1-month, ADF-female), and Group-6 (2-month, ADF-female). The ADF protocol was applied every other day for 24-h of fasting (three days/week). Serum samples were analyzed via ELISA to measure total oxidant-antioxidant status (TOS-TAS), and the oxidative stress index (OSI) was calculated. Results: 2-months of ADF treatment reduced body weight (BW) compared compliance control groups (p<0.001). All groups' cumulative food intake and retroperitoneal fat weight decreased with ADF (p<0.05). Both 1-month and 2-month ADF interventions had positive effects on reducing TOS and OSI in both liver and serum, with a significant decrease observed in both groups compared to their respective controls (p<0.001). The liver TAS significantly increased in female rats (p<0.05), but this increase did not reach a significant level in male rats. The difference in the serum TAS between the groups was not significant. Conclusions: This study evaluated the effects of ADF on BW, food consumption, and oxidative stress parameters in male and female rats. The findings highlight ADF's potential benefits in weight management and reducing oxidative stress. This study represents an important step in understanding the effects of ADF on metabolic health and in identifying potential clinical applications.

Keywords

• Aging
• alternate-day fasting
• food intake
• gender
• oxidative stress

Orta yaş sıçanlarda gün aşırı açlık protokolünün vücut ağırlığı, oksidatif stres ve metabolik sağlık üzerine cinsiyete özgü etkileri

Abstract

Amaç: Bu çalışmada, gün aşırı açlık protokolünün (ADF) cinsiyete özgü etkisinin ve yaşlanma ile ilişkili oksidatif stres değişimlerindeki işlevlerinin değerlendirilmesi amaçlandı. Gereç ve yöntem: Kırk iki dişi (n=21) ve erkek (n=21) 16 aylık Wistar sıçanları altı gruba (n=7) ayrıldı: Grup-1 (kontrol-erkek), Grup-2 (1 ay, ADF-erkek), Grup-3 (2 ay, ADF-erkek), Grup-4 (kontrol-dişi), Grup-5 (1 ay, ADFdişi) ve Grup-6 (2 ay, ADF-dişi). ADF protokolü günaşırı 24 saatlik oruç tutma şeklinde uygulandı (haftada üç gün). Serum örnekleri, ELISA yöntemiyle toplam oksidan-antioksidan seviyelerini (TOS-TAS) ölçmek için alındı ve oksidatif stres indeksi (OSI) hesaplandı. Bulgular: İki aylık-ADF tedavisinin kümültatif kontrol gruplarıyla karşılaştırıldığında vücut ağırlığında (VA) anlamlı azalma tespit edildi (p<0,001). Tüm gruplarda kümülatif gıda alımının ve retroperitoneal yağ ağırlığının ADF ile azaldığı görüldü (p<0,05). Hem 1 aylık hem de 2 aylık ADF uygulanması karaciğer ve serumda TOS seviyesi ve OSI'yi azaltmada olumlu etkiler gösterdi ve her iki grup da kendi kontrollerine göre anlamlı bir azalma gözlemlendi (p<0,001). Karaciğer TAS seviyesi dişi sıçanlarda anlamlı olarak arttı (p<0,05), ancak erkek sıçanlarda bu artış anlamlı bir seviyeye ulaşmadı. Gruplar arasındaki serum TAS seviyesinde anlamlı fark saptanmadı. Sonuç: Bu çalışma, erkek ve dişi sıçanlarda ADF'nin VA, gıda tüketimi ve oksidatif stres parametreleri üzerindeki etkilerini değerlendirdi. Bulgular, ADF'nin kilo yönetimi ve oksidatif stresi azaltmada potansiyel faydalarını vurgulamaktadır. Sonuç olarak, ADF'nin metabolik sağlık üzerindeki etkilerini anlamada ve olası klinik uygulamaları belirlemede önemli bir adımı temsil etmektedir.

Keywords

• Yaşlanma
• alternatif günlerde açlık
• gıda alımı
• cinsiyet
• oksidatif stres

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