The effects of fasting or a 600-cal diet on biliary lipid composition were studied in 20 persons with overweight. With complete fasting for 20 days and a mean weight loss of 650 g/day, biliary cholesterol fell significantly from 10.1 to 6.9 mol% and the 'lithogenic index' from 1.0 to 0.7. Following fasting, the index, in 10 of the 11 patients, was in the normal range… Read More

Total fasting was compared with VLCD (1.28 MJ, 300 kcal/day; 56 g protein, 12 g CHO) in 14 euthyroid obese patients, selected as matched pairs, over a period of 28 days. The weight loss was significantly greater during fasting than during the VLCD (16.5 kg vs. 12.7 kg). The basal metabolic rate of (BMR) showed a significant decrease (25 per cent) during total fasting, but was unchanged with… Read More

To delineate the hormonal mechanism of dietary-induced changes in sodium balance, the role of insulin and glucagon in natriuresis of fast was evaluated in obese subjects submitted to a total starvation and given either glucagon or somatostatin infusion on day 4 of fast. While large amounts of glucagon (1 mg over 6 h) stimulated concomitantly ketonaemia, ketonuria and renal sodium losses, the… Read More

The meal-induced rises in plasma GIP, serum insulin, and blood glucose were studied after an overnight fast and after a 34-h fast in six healthy men. After the 34-h fast, the postprandial mean plasma GIP level at 120 min and the mean serum insulin and blood glucose levels at 60 and 90 min were significantly higher than those seen after the overnight fast.

During starvation the response of TSH to TRH decreases in many subjects. This could be due to an increased sensitivity to TSH secretion to circulating thyroid hormones. To study this hypothesis, 13 subjects were starved twice for 2-day periods. After both starvation periods, a standard TRH test (200 micrograms TRH, iv) was performed; during 1 starvation period 15 micrograms T3 were injected iv… Read More

We have attempted to determine if the elevated plasma glucagon concentration and delayed MCR of glucagon (MCRg) observed during caloric restriction are related to the decreased serum T3 that also occurs during fasting. Twelve obese subjects received a 3-h iv glucagon infusion during a 4-day fed period (1000 kCal/day) and again on approximately the third fasting day. Five patients fasted… Read More

The effect of small amounts of oral glucose on hepatic function during starvation was studied. A group of 20, nondiabetic, obese, male patients were entered into the protocol. Ten were placed on absolute caloric starvation and the other ten were placed on a starvation diet modified by the daily addition of 8 or 16 g of oral glucose. Five patients in the starved group crossed over to the… Read More

1. To investigate the effects of starvation, elective surgery, accidental injury and other clinical conditions on the metabolism of branched-chain amino acids in man, we have measured the basal concentration of leucine and the removal of metabolic effects of infused L-leucine. 2. The blood concentration of leucine as significantly increased by surgery, starvation and accidental injury, and… Read More