Oncology ·
Fasting and gut bacterium linked to intestinal repair after radiation in preclinical study
A preclinical study reported that 24 hours of fasting increased Akkermansia muciniphila in the small intestine and promoted regenerative responses after radiation injury. The researchers say the findings may help guide future approaches to protecting healthy tissue during cancer treatment, but human benefit has not been established.
- Fasting increased small-intestinal Akkermansia muciniphila.
- Removing the bacterium eliminated the reported repair response.
- Findings are preclinical; human benefit is unknown.
Researchers at The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center investigated how fasting may affect intestinal recovery after radiation exposure. In this preclinical study, they examined the effects of a 24-hour fast and the gut bacterium Akkermansia muciniphila (AKK) on intestinal repair mechanisms. The source does not report the study model or sample size.
Fasting increased AKK abundance in the small intestine. The bacterium produces propionate, which, alongside other fasting-related metabolic changes, was linked to histone modifications and activation of genes involved in tissue regeneration. The researchers reported that selectively removing AKK eliminated the regenerative benefit associated with fasting; restoring the bacterium together with fasting restored the response.
The findings identify a potential mechanism for intestinal recovery after radiation injury, but they remain preclinical and do not establish that fasting or AKK improves outcomes in patients receiving radiotherapy. The researchers suggest that microbes or their metabolites could eventually be explored as alternatives to fasting, which may not be practical for some cancer patients. Further studies are needed before any clinical application can be assessed. The work was funded by the National Cancer Institute and the Cancer Prevention and Research Institute of Texas.
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Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (via ScienceDaily): A 24-hour fast triggers a surprising repair response in the gut ↗This is an automated AI-condensed summary that has not yet been reviewed by an editor. Always consult the full item at the original source.