Intermittent Fasting and Immune System: Skipping Meals Boosts Risk of Cancer, Heart Conditions, Infections [STUDY]

While fasting has been seen to be healthy and there are notable health benefits linked to it, a recent study shows that individuals should still be cautious about intermittent fasting. More specifically, it has been seen to heighten one's risk of developing cancer, heart conditions, and infections.

Intermittent Fasting Heightened Risk of Cancer, Heart Conditions, Infections

The Daily Mail reports that this was discovered through a study on mice models. The researchers from the Mount Sinai Hospital and Mount Sinai School of Medicine discovered that skipping breakfast led to a 90% drop in white blood cell count. Such cells help in combating illnesses, managing inflammation, and removing eliminated cells.

The breakfast-focused study was included in the Immunity publication. Study leader Dr. Filip Swirski, an immunologist from the hospital, says that because such cells are vital to conditions such as cancer and heart disease, it is crucial to know more about controlling their function.

According to Science Daily, the researchers wanted to see how fasting, from short to longer periods, affected the immune system. The researchers looked at two mouse groups. One of the groups had breakfast after waking up, while the other skipped the meal. The scientists gathered blood samples across both groups when the mice woke up, after four hours, and after eight hours.

As they analyzed the samples, the researchers observed notable differences among the mice that fasted. More specifically, they saw variances in monocyte count, which are white blood cells produced in the bone marrow and that move through the body. They have vital roles to play, such as combating heart conditions, cancer, and infections.

During the baseline, all mice had the same monocyte count. However, after four hours passed, the mice from the fasting group exhibited monocyte counts that were drastically affected. The scientists discovered that 90% of the count disappeared within the bloodstream. Such numbers further plummeted at the eight-hour mark.

In contrast, the monocyte levels in the mice group that did not fast were not affected.

The researchers observed in the group that fasted that these monocytes moved back to the bone marrow and hibernated. At the same time, new cell production within the bone marrow also diminished. These monocytes within the bone marrow, which have a remarkably short life, are remarkably altered. They lived longer because of how they stayed in the bone marrow. They also aged in a way that was different compared to the monocytes in blood.

The researchers let the mice continue fasting for 24 hours and then let them eat. The cells that hibernated in the bone marrow entered the bloodstream within a couple of hours. Such a surge boosted inflammation levels. Rather than protecting the body against infection, the changed monocytes became more inflammatory. This, in turn, made the body less resistant to battling infection.

Study Implications

The study is one of the first to establish links between such immune cells and the brain during fasting. The researchers also observed that specific brain regions handled the response of monocytes when one fasted.

The study also showed that fasting leads to a stress response, which makes people feel "hangry." This immediately triggers a grave migration from the bloodstream into the bone marrow. The cells then move back to the stream when the person eats again.

According to Dr. Swirski, the findings demonstrate that fasting decreases circulating monocyte count while food reintroduction leads to monocytes surging black into the blood, which could be concerning. Fasting regulates such a cycle that is not very good for the body when it comes to responding to infections or other challenges.

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