{"doi":"10.3390/nu17132061","title":"A Comprehensive Perspective on the Biological Effects of Intermittent Fasting and Periodic Short-Term Fasting: A Promising Strategy for Optimizing Metabolic Health","abstract":"<jats:p>It is well established that different fasting strategies offer a range of benefits and may even serve as potential therapeutic approaches for metabolic diseases. The biological effects of intermittent fasting (IF) are multidimensional, involving the induction of metabolic switching from glucose to fatty acid and ketone utilization, thereby enhancing fat metabolism and improving glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. In addition, IF modulates the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor 1 (GH/IGF-1) axis by lowering IGF-1 levels, a change associated with enhanced cellular protection, reduced tumorigenesis, and delayed aging. Moreover, IF modulates key signaling pathways, including mitogen-activated protein kinases, Notch, and nuclear factor kappa B, which collectively contribute to reduced oxidative stress, attenuated inflammation, and hepatoprotection. Although fasting may present certain challenges, it is essential to be adequately informed about its potential benefits and appropriate preparatory strategies before undertaking various fasting protocols. This review summarizes the current knowledge on various IF protocols and periodic short-term fasting (PSTF) lasting more than 24 h and up to 72 h, highlighting the signaling pathways through which these interventions affect metabolic processes. Additionally, it aims to provide a practical guide for the safe preparation for PSTF lasting more than 24 h and up to 72 h.</jats:p>","journal":"Nutrients","year":2025,"id":640963,"datarank":0.3596842909197557,"base_score":2.3978952727983707,"endowment":2.3978952727983707,"self_citation_contribution":0.3596842909197557,"citation_network_contribution":0.0,"self_endowment_contribution":0.3596842909197557,"citer_contribution":0.0,"corpus_percentile":null,"corpus_rank":null,"citation_count":10,"citer_count":0,"citers_with_citation_signal":0,"citers_with_endowment":0,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"is_dataset":false,"is_dataset_confidence":null,"is_data_producer":false,"deposit_databanks":null,"is_oa":false,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"has_version_chain":false,"published_date":null,"fair_score":null,"fair_percentile":null,"algorithm_id":"datarank_citation_only_1hop_v6","ranking_scope":"data_only","authors":[{"id":1666155,"name":"Karolina Kapłon","orcid":null,"position":1,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1666156,"name":"Przemysław Domaszewski","orcid":null,"position":2,"is_corresponding":false},{"id":1666154,"name":"Barbara Ciastek","orcid":"0000-0003-4245-2403","position":0,"is_corresponding":false}],"reference_count":0,"raw_metadata":{"has_enrichment":true,"resolved":true,"title":"A Comprehensive Perspective on the Biological Effects of Intermittent Fasting and Periodic Short-Term Fasting: A Promising Strategy for Optimizing Metabolic Health","abstract":"<jats:p>It is well established that different fasting strategies offer a range of benefits and may even serve as potential therapeutic approaches for metabolic diseases. The biological effects of intermittent fasting (IF) are multidimensional, involving the induction of metabolic switching from glucose to fatty acid and ketone utilization, thereby enhancing fat metabolism and improving glucose tolerance and insulin sensitivity. In addition, IF modulates the growth hormone/insulin-like growth factor 1 (GH/IGF-1) axis by lowering IGF-1 levels, a change associated with enhanced cellular protection, reduced tumorigenesis, and delayed aging. Moreover, IF modulates key signaling pathways, including mitogen-activated protein kinases, Notch, and nuclear factor kappa B, which collectively contribute to reduced oxidative stress, attenuated inflammation, and hepatoprotection. Although fasting may present certain challenges, it is essential to be adequately informed about its potential benefits and appropriate preparatory strategies before undertaking various fasting protocols. This review summarizes the current knowledge on various IF protocols and periodic short-term fasting (PSTF) lasting more than 24 h and up to 72 h, highlighting the signaling pathways through which these interventions affect metabolic processes. Additionally, it aims to provide a practical guide for the safe preparation for PSTF lasting more than 24 h and up to 72 h.</jats:p>","is_dataset_classified":null,"base_score":2.302585092994046,"endowment":2.302585092994046,"datacite_reuse_total":0,"file_count":0,"downloads":0,"views":0,"has_version_chain":false,"is_dataset":false,"is_oa":false,"pmid":"40647166","pmcid":"PMC12250775","openalex_id":"https://openalex.org/W4411471366","authors":[],"funders":[],"total_grants":0,"fwci":6.006,"citation_percentile":0.96760179,"influential_citations":0,"citation_trend":[{"year":2025,"count":1},{"year":2026,"count":8}],"oa_status":"gold","license":"cc-by","oa_locations":[{"url":"https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/17/13/2061/pdf?version=1750428960","host_type":"journal"},{"url":"https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/17/13/2061/pdf?version=1750428960","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://www.mdpi.com/2072-6643/17/13/2061/pdf","host_type":"publisher"},{"url":"https://doi.org/10.3390/nu17132061","host_type":"journal"},{"url":"https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/40647166","host_type":"repository"},{"url":"https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/12250775","host_type":"repository"},{"url":"https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC12250775","host_type":"Europe_PMC"},{"url":"https://europepmc.org/articles/PMC12250775?pdf=render","host_type":"Europe_PMC"}],"fields_of_study":["Dietary Effects on Health","Diet and metabolism studies","Diet, Metabolism, and Disease","Humans","Intermittent Fasting","Fasting","Time Factors","Signal Transduction","Eating","Blood Glucose","Fatty Acids","Growth Hormone","Insulin-Like Growth Factor I","Insulin Resistance","Oxidative Stress","Periodicity","Ketones"],"mesh_terms":["Intermittent Fasting","Animals","Blood Glucose","Eating","Fasting","Fatty Acids","Humans","Insulin Resistance","Insulin-Like Growth Factor I","Ketones","Periodicity","Growth Hormone","Time Factors","Signal Transduction","Oxidative Stress"],"keywords":["Intermittent fasting","Oxidative stress","Medicine","Endocrinology","Bioinformatics","Biology","Metabolic changes","signaling pathways","Periodic Short-term Fasting"],"sdg_mappings":[{"sdg_number":0,"sdg_label":"Good health and well-being"}],"linked_datasets":[],"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"database_accessions":[{"name":"doi"}],"source":"live","citation_network_status":"fetched"},"created_at":"2026-08-07T14:52:54.420787Z","pmid":null,"pmcid":null,"fwci":null,"citation_percentile":null,"influential_citations":0,"oa_status":null,"license":null,"views":0,"total_file_size_bytes":0,"version_count":0,"fair_f":null,"fair_a":null,"fair_i":null,"fair_r":null,"fair_zscore":null,"fair_rationale":null,"fair_model":null,"fair_agent_version":null,"fair_fulltext_source":null,"fair_has_llm":null,"fair_computed_at":null,"clinical_trials":[],"software_tools":[],"db_accessions":[],"linked_datasets":[],"topics":[]}