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. 2023 May 4;2023(61):84-103.
doi: 10.1093/jncimonographs/lgad008.

Intermittent fasting interventions to leverage metabolic and circadian mechanisms for cancer treatment and supportive care outcomes

Faiza Kalam  1 , Dara L James  2   3 , Yun Rose Li  4   5 , Michael F Coleman  6 , Violet A Kiesel  6 , Elizabeth M Cespedes Feliciano  7 , Stephen D Hursting  6 , Dorothy D Sears  8 , Amber S Kleckner  9   10
Affiliations

Intermittent fasting interventions to leverage metabolic and circadian mechanisms for cancer treatment and supportive care outcomes

Faiza Kalam et al. J Natl Cancer Inst Monogr. .

Abstract

Intermittent fasting entails restricting food intake during specific times of day, days of the week, religious practice, or surrounding clinically important events. Herein, the metabolic and circadian rhythm mechanisms underlying the proposed benefits of intermittent fasting for the cancer population are described. We summarize epidemiological, preclinical, and clinical studies in cancer published between January 2020 and August 2022 and propose avenues for future research. An outstanding concern regarding the use of intermittent fasting among cancer patients is that fasting often results in caloric restriction, which can put patients already prone to malnutrition, cachexia, or sarcopenia at risk. Although clinical trials do not yet provide sufficient data to support the general use of intermittent fasting in clinical practice, this summary may be useful for patients, caregivers, and clinicians who are exploring intermittent fasting as part of their cancer journey for clinical outcomes and symptom management.

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Conflict of interest statement

No authors declare any conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1.
Figure 1.
The effects of intermittent fasting regimens on biological mechanisms, cancer treatment outcomes, and quality-of-life outcomes. IGF-1 = insulin-like growth factor 1; mTOR = mechanistic target of rapamycin.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

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