Fasting may help ward off infections, study in mice suggests

Date:
August 5, 2021
Source:
PLOS
Summary:
Fasting before and during exposure to Salmonella enterica bacteria
protects mice from developing a full-blown infection, in part due to
changes in the animals' gut microbiomes, according to new research.



FULL STORY ========================================================================== Fasting before and during exposure to Salmonella entericabacteria protects
mice from developing a full-blown infection, in part due to changes
in the animals' gut microbiomes,according to new research published in
PLOS Pathogensby Bruce Vallance and colleagues at University of British Columbia, Canada.


==========================================================================
When people or animals develop an infection, they often lose their
appetite.

However it remains controversial whether fasting protects a host from infection, or increases their susceptibility. In the new study, mice were fasted for 48 hours before and during oral infection with the bacteria Salmonella entericaserovar Typhimurium, a common cause of foodborne
illness in people.

Fasting decreased the signs of bacterial infection compared to fed
mice, including nearly eliminating all intestinal tissue damage and inflammation.

When fasted animals were re-fed for a day after their fast, there was a dramatic increase in Salmonella numbers and invasion into the intestinal
walls, although the associated inflammation was still attenuated compared
to normal.

The results did not hold true when mice were exposed to Salmonella intravenously instead of orally, and analyses of the microbiomes of
mice showed significant changes associated with fasting and protection
against infection.

Moreover, fasting did not fully protect germ-free mice -- bred to lack
a normal microbiome -- from Salmonella, suggesting that some of the
protection was due to fasting's effect on the microbiome. Experiments
using the bacteria Campylobacter jejuni confirmed that the effect of
fasting was not limited to Salmonella, with similar results seen.

"These data suggest that therapeutic fasting or calorie restriction
has the potential to beneficially modulate infectious and potentially non-infectious gastrointestinal diseases," the researchers conclude.

The researchers add, "Our research highlights the important role
that food plays in regulating interactions between the host, enteric
pathogens and the gut microbiome. When food is limited, the microbiome
appears to sequester the nutrients that remain, preventing pathogens
from acquiring the energy they need to infect the host. While more
research is needed, fasting or otherwise adjusting food intake could be exploited therapeutically to modulate infectious diseases in the future." ========================================================================== Story Source: Materials provided by PLOS. Note: Content may be edited
for style and length.


========================================================================== Journal Reference:
1. Franziska A. Graef, Larissa S. Celiberto, Joannie M. Allaire,
Mimi T. Y.

Kuan, Else S. Bosman, Shauna M. Crowley, Hyungjun Yang, Justin
H. Chan, Martin Stahl, Hongbing Yu, Candice Quin, Deanna L. Gibson,
Elena F.

Verdu, Kevan Jacobson, Bruce A. Vallance. Fasting increases
microbiome- based colonization resistance and reduces host
inflammatory responses during an enteric bacterial infection. PLOS
Pathogens, 2021; 17 (8): e1009719 DOI: 10.1371/journal.ppat.1009719 ==========================================================================

Link to news story: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2021/08/210805140612.htm

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