Intermittent Fasting May Prevent Liver Cancer, New Research Shows

Fatty liver disease often leads to chronic liver inflammation and can even result in liver cancer. German researchers found that a 5:2 intermittent fasting schedule in mice can halt this progression, identifying two proteins responsible for the protective effect and noting that an approved drug can partially mimic these benefits.Fatty liver disease frequently progresses to chronic liver inflammation and may eventually cause liver cancer.

Intermittent fasting has already been shown in several studies to be an effective means of reducing weight and alleviating certain metabolic disorders. Heikenwälder’s team has now tested in mice whether this approach can also protect the liver from fatty degeneration and chronic inflammation.The animals were fed with a high-sugar and high-fat diet corresponding to the typical Western diet. One group of mice had constant access to the food.

When experimenting with different variants of intermittent fasting, it was found that several parameters determine protection against liver inflammation: The number and duration of fasting cycles play a role, as does the start of the fasting phase. A 5:2 dietary pattern works better than 6:1; 24-hour fasting phases better than 12-hour ones. A particularly unhealthy diet requires more frequent dieting cycles.

The fact that these correlations are not just a mouse phenomenon was shown when tissue samples from MASH patients were examined: Here, too, the researchers found the same molecular pattern with reduced PPAR α and PCK1. Are PPAR α and PCK1 actually responsible for the beneficial effects of fasting? When both proteins were genetically switched off simultaneously in the liver cells of the mice, intermittent fasting was unable to prevent either chronic inflammation or fibrosis.

“This shows us that 5:2 intermittent fasting has great potential – both in the prevention of MASH and liver cancer, as well as in the treatment of established chronic liver inflammation,” summarizes principal investigator Heikenwälder. “The promising results justify studies in patients to find out whether intermittent fasting protects against chronic liver inflammation as well as in the mouse model.

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Intermittent fasting protects against liver inflammation and liver cancerFatty liver disease often leads to chronic liver inflammation and can even result in liver cancer. Scientists have now shown in mice that intermittent fasting on a 5:2 schedule can halt this development. The fasting regime reduces the development of liver cancer in mice with pre-existing liver inflammation.
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