New Delhi: While intermittent fasting (IF) is widely promoted for weight loss and managing health conditions like diabetes and heart disease, a new animal study suggests it may not be safe for teenagers. Researchers found that prolonged fasting could impair cell development in younger individuals, particularly affecting insulin-producing beta cells.
The study, conducted by a team from the Technical University of Munich (TUM), LMU Hospital Munich, and Helmholtz Munich, emphasized that age plays a crucial role in determining the benefits or risks of intermittent fasting. Their findings were published in the journal Cell Reports.
Intermittent fasting typically involves restricting food intake to a specific six- to eight-hour window each day. While it has shown benefits for adults, the study revealed that chronic fasting negatively affected pancreatic beta cell development in adolescent mice. Beta cells are responsible for insulin production, which is essential for regulating blood sugar levels.
“Our study confirms that intermittent fasting is beneficial for adults, but it might come with risks for children and teenagers,” says Stephan Herzig, a professor at TUM and director of the Institute for Diabetes and Cancer at Helmholtz Munich. “The next step is digging deeper into the molecular mechanisms underlying these observations. If we better understand how to promote healthy beta cell development, it will open new avenues for treating diabetes by restoring insulin production.”
To examine the impact, researchers subjected adolescent, adult, and older mice to a fasting regimen, where they were deprived of food for one day and then fed normally for two days over a period of 10 weeks. The results showed that insulin sensitivity improved in adult and older mice, helping their bodies regulate blood sugar more efficiently.
However, adolescent mice exhibited a significant decline in beta cell function, leading to reduced insulin production—a key factor in diabetes and metabolic disorders.
Further analysis revealed that beta cells in younger mice failed to mature properly. When compared to human tissue data, the study found a similarity with Type 1 diabetes patients, where beta cell maturation is impaired due to an autoimmune response.
These findings highlight the potential risks of intermittent fasting for teenagers, suggesting that long-term fasting routines may not be suitable for growing individuals.