Study Investigates Fasting-Mimicking Diet for Crohn's Disease, Shows Impact on Inflammatory Markers

A study investigated the effects of a fasting-mimicking diet on patients with Crohn's disease. In the control group, less than half of the participants experienced symptom improvements, which were attributed to natural symptom fluctuations and continued standard care regimens.Participants in the fasting-mimicking group reported some fatigue and headache, but no serious side effects were documented.## Biological Indicators and Study FindingsThe research was initiated after earlier findings suggested a fasting-mimicking diet could reduce C-reactive protein levels, a marker of systemic inflammation. This made the diet an appealing area of study for Crohn's disease, as many patients exhibit elevated inflammatory markers.Researchers tracked participants' clinical responses and analyzed changes in biological specimens, including inflammatory markers in both stool and blood. The aim was to understand the differential responses and identify potential mechanisms.The fasting-mimicking group showed a significant decline in fecal calprotectin, a protein indicative of gut inflammation, compared to the control group. Additionally, inflammation-promoting lipid mediators derived from fatty acids decreased in this group. Immune cells from fasting-mimicking participants also produced fewer inflammatory molecules. Researchers are currently exploring whether changes in the gut microbiome may contribute to these benefits.Further research is needed to fully understand the biological mechanisms by which this and other diets function in patients with Crohn's disease.## Study Contributors and SupportThe study's first authors are Chiraag Kulkarni, MD, and Touran Fardeen from Stanford Medicine. Researchers from the University of Southern California and the University of California, San Francisco, also contributed to the work.The study received support from The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust, the National Institutes of Health, the Plant Based Diet Initiative at Stanford University, the Kenneth Rainin Foundation, the Doris Duke Foundation Physician Scientist Fellowship Award, a CZ Biohub Physician Scientist Scholar Award, the Colleen and Robert D. Hass fund, and the Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator Program.Author Valter Longo, PhD, has equity interest in L-Nutra, the company from which the fasting-mimicking meals were purchased, and has filed patents related to the diet.