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Updated: Jun 26, 2025

Assessment of the Metabolic Effects of Isocaloric 2:1 Intermittent Fasting in Mice
Published on: November 27, 2019
Intermittent fasting influences immunity and metabolism
Daniel M Marko1, Meghan O Conn1, Jonathan D Schertzer1
1Department of Biochemistry and Biomedical Sciences, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Farncombe Family Digestive Health Research Institute, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada; Centre for Metabolism, Obesity, and Diabetes Research, McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada.
Abstract:
Intermittent fasting (IF) modifies cell- and tissue-specific immunometabolic responses that dictate metabolic flexibility and inflammation during obesity and type 2 diabetes (T2D). Fasting forces periods of metabolic flexibility and necessitates increased use of different substrates. IF can lower metabolic inflammation and improve glucose metabolism without lowering obesity and can influence time-dependent, compartmentalized changes in immunity. Liver, adipose tissue, skeletal muscle, and immune cells communicate to relay metabolic and immune signals during fasting. Here we review the connections between metabolic and immune cells to explain the divergent effects of IF compared with classic caloric restriction (CR) strategies. We also explore how the immunometabolism of metabolic diseases dictates certain IF outcomes, where the gut microbiota triggers changes in immunity and metabolism during fasting.
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