Bhatti Sundus I, Mindikoglu Ayse L
Margaret M. and Albert B. Alkek Department of Medicine, Section of Gastroenterology and Hepatology, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
Michael E. DeBakey Department of Surgery, Division of Abdominal Transplantation, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, TX, USA.
Metabol Open. 2022 Mar;13:100162. doi: 10.1016/j.metop.2021.100162. Epub 2021 Dec 28.
Dawn to sunset fasting, a type of intermittent fasting commonly practiced in the month of Ramadan, requires abstinence from food and drink from dawn to sunset. Dawn and dusk are two transition time zones of the day that play a critical role in the human circadian rhythm. Practicing dawn to sunset fasting requires the alignment of mealtimes and wake-sleep times with the human biological dawn and dusk. Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) impairs immune cell responses at multiple levels and leads to severe Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19). It generates high levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, also known as a cytokine storm, leads to mitochondrial dysfunction and generation of excessive amounts of mitochondrial reactive oxygen species, downregulates autophagy to escape detection for unchecked replication, and alters gut microbiome composition. Severe cases of COVID-19 have been associated with several comorbidities that impair immune responses (e.g., obesity, diabetes, malignancy) and blood laboratory abnormalities (e.g., elevated procalcitonin, C-reactive protein, interleukin-6, leukocytosis, lymphopenia). Several studies of dawn to sunset fasting showed anti-inflammatory effect by suppressing several pro-inflammatory cytokines, reducing oxidative stress, inducing a proteome response associated with increased autophagy, remodeling the gut microbiome, and improving the components of metabolic syndrome (e.g., obesity, blood glucose levels, blood pressure, lipids). In conclusion, dawn to sunset fasting has the potential to optimize the immune system function against SARS-CoV-2 during the COVID-19 pandemic as it suppresses chronic inflammation and oxidative stress, improves metabolic profile, and remodels the gut microbiome. This review presents scientific literature related to the effects of dawn to sunset fasting on the immune system. Studies are needed to assess and confirm the potential benefits of dawn to sunset fasting against SARS-CoV-2.
黎明至日落禁食是斋月期间常见的一种间歇性禁食方式，要求从黎明到日落期间禁食禁饮。黎明和黄昏是一天中的两个过渡时区，在人类昼夜节律中起着关键作用。实行黎明至日落禁食需要使用餐时间和作息时间与人体的生物黎明和黄昏保持一致。严重急性呼吸综合征冠状病毒2（SARS-CoV-2）在多个层面损害免疫细胞反应，导致严重的2019冠状病毒病（COVID-19）。它会产生高水平的促炎细胞因子和趋化因子，即所谓的细胞因子风暴，导致线粒体功能障碍和过量线粒体活性氧的产生，下调自噬以逃避检测从而不受控制地复制，并改变肠道微生物群组成。COVID-19的严重病例与几种损害免疫反应的合并症（如肥胖、糖尿病、恶性肿瘤）和血液实验室异常（如降钙素原、C反应蛋白、白细胞介素-6升高，白细胞增多，淋巴细胞减少）有关。几项关于黎明至日落禁食的研究表明，它具有抗炎作用，可通过抑制几种促炎细胞因子、减少氧化应激、诱导与自噬增加相关的蛋白质组反应、重塑肠道微生物群以及改善代谢综合征的各项指标（如肥胖、血糖水平、血压、血脂）来实现。总之，黎明至日落禁食有可能在COVID-19大流行期间优化针对SARS-CoV-2的免疫系统功能，因为它能抑制慢性炎症和氧化应激，改善代谢状况，并重塑肠道微生物群。这篇综述介绍了与黎明至日落禁食对免疫系统影响相关的科学文献。需要开展研究来评估和确认黎明至日落禁食对SARS-CoV-2的潜在益处。
