Fasting and Mitochondrial Health

Explore the mechanisms underpinning mitochondrial conditions at the upcoming Bioenergetics Advanced Practice Module (APM). See full program details (NEED LINK)

Fasting has been used in therapeutic, cultural, and religious practices and traditions for thousands of years and is described as an abstinence from some or all foods and drinks for a set period of time. When fasting, the body experiences ketosis and undergoes a metabolic switch in its fuel source, from stored glycogen to fatty acids. Fasting may not be advised for all patients; however, if appropriate for a personalized treatment strategy, benefits may include improvements in a range of health areas such as cognitive performance, cardiometabolic health, type 2 diabetes, and obesity.^1-5 How does mitochondrial health relate to fasting and its potential benefits?

In the following video, IFM educator Monique Class, MS, APRN, BC, IFMCP (NEED LINK), discusses the potential benefits of incorporating fasting into a patient’s care plan.

(Video Time: 4 minutes) Monique Class, MS, APRN, BC, is a board-certified family nurse practitioner and clinical nurse specialist in holistic health at The Center for Functional Medicine in Stamford, CT. She currently serves as a clinical instructor for the Yale Graduate School of Nursing and is a founding member and director of coaching development for the Functional Medicine Coaching Academy.

Mitochondrial Responses to Fasting

Mitochondria have multiple functions, from generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) to energy metabolism and ATP synthesis. Mitochondrial quality impacts the health of multiple body systems and tissues, with mitochondrial biogenesis and performance impacting cardiovascular,⁶ immune,⁷ musculoskeletal,^8,9 gut,¹⁰ and brain health.^11,12 One of the suggested benefits of intermittent fasting is the optimization of mitochondrial health, potentially leading to improved energy production and overall function.^13-15 While the long-term effects of intermittent fasting have not been fully established, mitochondrial and fasting-related research continues to evolve, with more clinical and observational studies demonstrating potential benefits of therapeutic fasting approaches to support health^16,17 and with additional investigations clarifying the mitochondrial mechanisms that may be involved. 

MITOCHONDRIAL MECHANISMS: HOMEOSTASIS & BIOGENISIS

Mitochondria are dynamic organelles undergoing continuous cycles of fusion and fission, and excessive division or fission has been associated with mitochondrial functional defects that may lead to multiple disease states.¹⁸Mitochondrial biogenesis and function are mediated by different activators, regulators, and transcription factors such as PGC-1α and Nrf2. Research suggests that fasting may enhance these mediators of mitochondrial biogenesis and improve mitochondrial function and energy homeostasis. For example:

• Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma coactivator 1-alpha (PGC-1α) is a fasting-induced transcriptional coactivator¹⁹ that mediates mitochondrial biogenesis, activates when the body receives a signal that it needs more cellular energy, and increases in expression during fasting.²⁰
• Nuclear factor (erythroid-derived 2) factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor that regulates ROS production by mitochondria and may be involved in mitochondrial quality control systems.²¹ A 2019 study evaluated the impact of Ramadan intermittent fasting on the expression of antioxidant genes, including Nrf2, and results suggested that fasting improved the expression of the antioxidant regulatory genes.¹⁴

Nutrition + Fasting Interventions for Mitochondrial Health

Specific nutrients that support mitochondrial function may be part of a personalized nutrition strategy for some patients. In other cases, a form of fasting may be appropriate and blended with a food plan to create an individualized nutrition intervention. Examples include the following: 

• Fasting: The willful abstinence from any caloric intake for an extended period of time that is greater than 24 hours. This practice usually includes water only, but some methods allow tea, coffee, and minerals. Of note, some experts only define fasting in this way and do not consider intermittent approaches as forms of fasting.
• Intermittent fasting: A broad term used to describe food consumption cycles that alternate between periods of restricting calories and periods of not restricting calories. 
• Time-restricted eating/prolonged nightly fasting: An approach that considers circadian rhythms and advocates consuming calories from food and beverages only during a shortened window of time daily, ranging from four to 12 hours. This is also called “prolonged nightly fasting,” which eliminates or reduces a person’s caloric intake at night, with an extended overnight fast that is greater than 10 hours.
• Alternate-day fasting: A cycle of a complete fast on one day and eating freely on the next day.
• Intermittent energy restriction: Consecutive or non-consecutive days of alternating very low-calorie intake (as low as 400 to 500 kcal) with days of normal calorie intake.
• 5:2 diet: Two consecutive or non-consecutive days of low-calorie intake (no more than 25% of an individual’s daily caloric requirement) coupled with five days of unrestricted eating.
• Calorie restriction: Daily caloric intake is reduced for an extended period of time without causing malnutrition, and meal frequency is maintained.
• Fasting-mimicking diet: A periodic, multiple-day (typically followed for five days), very low-calorie, low carbohydrate food plan designed to mimic a fasting state.

Conclusion

Research studies continue to investigate mitochondrial responses to the metabolic stress from fasting or reduced energy intake.^22-25 IFM tools include therapeutic food plans that support mitochondrial function and energy production through an anti-inflammatory, low-glycemic, high-quality fat approach to eating. As part of a personalized nutritional intervention, fasting approaches may also be integrated into therapeutic nutritional strategies based on a patient’s needs. 

Functional medicine provides a framework within which practitioners may collaborate with patients to develop personalized therapeutic strategies that potentially include nutrition interventions incorporating different levels of fasting. Learn more about the functional medicine approach to optimal mitochondrial function at the Bioenergetics Advanced Practice Module.