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Diet

Fasting & fasting-mimicking

Fasting and fasting-mimicking approaches studied alongside cancer treatment.

Educational only. This page reports what published guidelines and studies describe. It is not medical advice and is not a claim that fasting & fasting-mimicking treats, prevents, or cures cancer. Decisions are yours and your care team's.

What the studies report: a cited, human-reviewed summary, kept current as the evidence changes and retracted findings are removed.

Reviewed Jun 2026 · OncoForge editorial · How we review →

Evidence at a glanceNo graded study evidence yet
37 human clinical studies in the Fasting & fasting-mimicking corpus334 source documents in the Fasting & fasting-mimicking corpus

last checked June 9, 2026

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Answers come only from the cited sources on this page — with the supporting evidence shown. If the sources here don't cover your question, it will say so. Educational information, not medical advice.

Key points

  • Overview: Fasting and fasting-mimicking approaches in cancer are described as dietary patterns studied across prevention, treatment, and survivorship settings, but the evidence base is limited, heterogeneous, and often preclinical or early clinical. Intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, and fasting-mimicking diets are the most commonly discussed variants, with breast cancer appearing most often in the clinical literature.

6 sections — tap any heading to expand its cited detail. Key points are above.

OverviewFasting and fasting-mimicking approaches in cancer are described as dietary patterns studied across prevention, treatment, and survivorship settings, but the evidence base is limited, heterogeneous, and often preclinical or early clinical. Intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, and fasting-mimicking diets are the most commonly discussed variants, with breast cancer appearing most often in the clinical literature.44 points
  • The sources describe fasting-related dietary patterns studied in cancer, including intermittent fasting, time-restricted feeding, therapeutic fasting, and fasting-mimicking diets. [1][2][3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13]13 sources
  • The sources describe fasting and fasting-mimicking diets as dietary interventions studied in cancer and other diseases, including animal models and one clinical trial in people with overweight or obesity. [14][15][16][17][18][19]6 sources
  • The sources describe fasting, fasting-mimicking diet (FMD), intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, and 5:2-style fasting as dietary-restriction approaches studied in cancer-related settings. [20][21][22][23][24]5 sources
  • The cited sources include breast cancer, prostate cancer during androgen deprivation therapy, and radiotherapy-related settings among the cancer contexts studied. [25][26][27][28]4 sources
  • The sources include preclinical studies, a case study, and a feasibility study protocol rather than a cancer guideline on fasting. [8][9][10][11]4 sources
  • The cancer-focused sources mainly studied these patterns in breast, gynecological, and other adult cancer survivor populations, often during or after treatment. [1][2][3]3 sources
  • Fasting, intermittent fasting, fasting-mimicking diets, and short-fasting regimens were studied in cancer settings including chemotherapy, breast cancer, and liver cancer models. [29][30][31]3 sources
  • The sources distinguish cancer prevention, cancer treatment during active therapy, and survivorship as different contexts for studying fasting-based interventions. [32][33][34]3 sources
  • The sources describe time-restricted feeding and intermittent fasting as dietary patterns that include periods of fasting, and they mention fasting-mimicking approaches as related dietary interventions. [35][36][37]3 sources
  • Sources describe time-restricted eating in blood cancer survivors, while other cited reviews discuss intermittent fasting or fasting-mimicking diets in broader metabolic or cancer-related contexts. [38][39][40]3 sources
  • The sources describe fasting, fasting-mimicking diet (FMD), and time-restricted eating (TRE) as dietary patterns studied in cancer and metabolic health contexts. [41][42][43]3 sources
  • The sources describe fasting as periods of little to no caloric intake, and fasting-mimicking diet as a related dietary pattern studied in cancer settings. [25][28]
  • Sources describe fasting and fasting-mimicking diets as short-term interventions studied around chemotherapy, including in HER2-negative stage II/III breast cancer, and report metabolic changes such as lower glucose, insulin, or IGF-1 in some studies. [44][45]
  • The sources also describe fasting or fasting-mimicking diets in relation to aging and metabolic risk markers, but those reports are not cancer treatment studies. [45][46]
  • The sources describe fasting-based interventions in cancer as including intermittent fasting, fasting-mimicking diet, time-restricted eating, and short-term fasting. [32][33]
  • The sources describe fasting and fasting-mimicking diets as dietary interventions studied in cancer, especially as adjuncts to standard therapy and in breast cancer-focused precision nutrition discussions. [47][48]
  • The sources describe fasting and fasting-mimicking diets as dietary strategies studied in cancer prevention, treatment tolerance, and survivorship. [49][50]
  • The sources describe fasting and fasting-mimicking diets as dietary patterns studied in cancer, mainly as supportive approaches during treatment rather than as stand-alone cancer therapies. [51][52]
  • Sources note that intermittent fasting and fasting-mimicking diets have been examined in cancer patients, with preliminary clinical findings and calls for larger randomized trials. [51][53]
  • The 2025 EASO position statement describes intermittent fasting as a dietary approach with periodic cycles of fasting and eating, and says evidence on dietary interventions such as intermittent fasting in cancer management is limited and inconsistent. [54]
  • The 2025 EASO position statement says intermittent fasting is an emerging dietary intervention with potential benefits for weight loss and metabolic health, and may offer anticancer effects. [54]
  • The 2025 systematic review of time-restricted eating in cancer included 24 studies, and nearly half were in breast cancer. [55]
  • The 2025 systematic review of time-restricted eating in cancer found two prostate cancer studies among the included studies. [55]
  • The sources describe fasting-mimicking diets as meal plans formulated to simulate the fasting state and note that they provide vitamins and minerals. [29]
  • Fasting-mimicking diets (FMDs) are described as low-calorie, low-protein, low-sugar, vegan diets that recreate the metabolic effects of fasting. [56]
  • The sources describe fasting-mimicking diets as plant-based, low-calorie dietary interventions with reduced carbohydrate and protein intake and increased fat intake. [57]
  • A randomized trial protocol is underway in adults with breast or rectal cancer receiving neoadjuvant therapy to test early time-restricted eating. [58]
  • In a 12-week randomized trial in adult cancer survivors, individualized nutrition counseling with or without time-restricted eating was studied alongside actigraphy-based rest-activity rhythm measures. [59]
  • The sources say that clinical translation of fasting-based dietary strategies in cancer is still at an early stage. [48]
  • The sources say that fasting-mimicking diets are low-calorie, low-protein, plant-based diets given for three to five days during each chemotherapy cycle. [49]
  • The sources say that intermittent fasting includes alternating cycles of eating and fasting and may involve calorie-restricted intake one to three days per week. [49]
  • The sources state that clinical evidence for fasting and FMD in cancer is limited and that trial designs, patient characteristics, and cancer types vary widely. [41]
  • The sources also state that FMD clinical trials in cancer patients have been reported as safe and feasible. [43]
  • The sources describe TRE as a safe, adaptable, and clinically relevant strategy for metabolic health when individualized and professionally supervised, and note that long-term adherence and sustainability remain key research priorities. [42]
  • The 2025 review on hereditary cancer syndromes states that intermittent fasting and Mediterranean diet patterns may be promising non-pharmacological strategies in hereditary cancer syndromes, while also noting that targeted evidence in these populations remains limited. [12]
  • The 2024 review reports that phase 1/2 clinical trials found cyclic FMD to be safe and feasible and associated with positive metabolic and immunomodulatory effects in patients with different tumor types. [60]
  • The 2024 systematic review of long-term randomized dietary interventions found that most eligible trials focused on healthy women or women with breast cancer, and it noted little to no long-term randomized trial information among men. [61]
Show 7 lab & early-research findings
  • The evidence in the sources covers prevention-related mechanisms, during-treatment studies, and survivorship use patterns, but the sources are mostly reviews, preclinical studies, or small clinical reports. [62][63][4][7][5][6]6 sources
  • The sources include preclinical and clinical reports on fasting or fasting-mimicking diets in cancer, including treatment studies and reports of metabolic and immunologic effects; several cited studies are in treatment settings. [56][64][65][66]4 sources
  • The sources include preclinical, translational, and clinical studies in colorectal cancer, acute myeloid leukemia, and colorectal surgery patients with obesity. [20][23][24]3 sources
  • The cited evidence is largely preclinical or review-based, including a review describing mouse radiotherapy findings. [67][36]
  • The sources describe fasting and fasting-mimicking diets (FMDs) as cyclic nutrient-restriction approaches studied in cancer, with preclinical and early clinical evidence reported in the literature. [60][68]
  • The cancer evidence in the systematic review was preclinical and included 15 mouse studies. [57]
  • The preclinical studies in the systematic review included breast, colorectal, ovarian, melanoma, pancreatic, and acute lymphoblastic leukemia models. [57]
What studies reportStudies of fasting and fasting-mimicking diets in cancer report mixed findings across preclinical and clinical settings, including changes in inflammatory markers, metabolic measures, treatment tolerance, and some tumor-response outcomes. Many reviews describe the evidence as early, heterogeneous, or limited, with several ongoing trials and unresolved questions about clinical benefit.118 points
  • In a phase Ib trial of 101 patients with cancer, cyclic FMD was reported as safe and feasible with standard anticancer treatments, and the incidence of severe grade 3 or 4 FMD-related adverse events was 12.9%, below the prespecified 20% threshold. [65][66]
  • The review describes intermittent fasting as a potential adjunct that may enhance therapeutic efficacy by sensitizing tumor cells to chemotherapy and radiotherapy, while noting that further clinical studies are needed. [69][70]
  • In the 2025 time-restricted eating review, the included cancer studies were mostly feasibility or observational studies rather than large randomized trials, and the authors concluded that less is known about the effects of time-restricted eating in people with cancer. [55]
  • In the 2025 breast cancer treatment review, intermittent fasting during treatment was reported to possibly improve body weight, body composition, treatment-related outcomes, and quality of life. [71]
  • In the 2025 gut microbiome and immunotherapy review, intermittent fasting was listed among dietary interventions studied in relation to microbiome changes and immune checkpoint inhibitor outcomes. [72]
  • In that same meta-analysis, time-restricted eating was reported to alleviate fatigue in breast and endometrial cancer patients, and periodic short-term fasting was reported to improve quality of life in patients with breast and ovarian cancers. [1]
  • In a 2025 systematic review of chemotherapy and targeted therapy studies, intermittent fasting was reported as safe and feasible, but no impact on treatment outcomes or chemotherapy-related toxicities was demonstrated. [2]
  • In adult cancer survivors, a 2024 systematic review reported that the fasting-mimicking diet significantly improved cognitive function. [3]
  • In the DIRECT breast cancer trial, toxicity during chemotherapy was not significantly different between the fasting-mimicking diet group and the regular diet group, DNA damage after chemotherapy was significantly lower in CD45+ CD3+ T-lymphocytes from participants on the fasting-mimicking diet, and quality of life was not significantly different between groups. [29]
  • In the animal study of obesity-related triple-negative breast cancer, intermittent fasting was reported to attenuate tumor progression and to alter cell cycle, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, immune contexture, and proinflammatory signature. [30]
  • In breast cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, the systematic review reported higher tolerance to chemotherapy and fewer chemotherapy-induced side effects in studies of intermittent fasting. [25]
  • In one short-term time-restricted feeding study in breast cancer survivors, fatigue scores improved after 2 weeks. [25]
  • In the breast cancer review, fasting was reported to improve quality of life during chemotherapy, including reductions in fatigue, nausea, and headaches. [25]
  • In the breast cancer review, a fasting-mimicking diet was reported to be associated with longer night sleep compared with a normocaloric diet. [25]
  • In the breast cancer review, fasting during chemotherapy was reported to reduce some measures of chemotherapy-induced toxicity in several studies, including one study in which fasting for 96 hours during half of chemotherapy cycles was reported to reduce stomatitis, headaches, weakness, and total toxicity scores. [25]
  • In the prostate cancer review, dietary interventions during androgen deprivation therapy were studied for body composition outcomes, but the review did not focus on fasting. [26]
  • In the inflammatory biomarker meta-analysis, intermittent fasting regimens and energy-restricted diets reduced CRP, but not TNF-α or IL-6, in randomized trials. [73]
  • In the DIRECT trial in HER2-negative early breast cancer, the fasting-mimicking diet group had a higher rate of radiological complete or partial response than the regular-diet group in the intention-to-treat analysis, while pathological complete response did not differ. [44]
  • In the per-protocol analysis of the DIRECT trial, pathological response score 4/5 occurred more often in patients who used the fasting-mimicking diet than in controls, while pCR still did not differ. [44]
  • In this randomized trial of generally healthy participants, FMD cycles reduced body weight, waist circumference, systolic blood pressure, and IGF-1 compared with a normal diet; after the first cycle, fasting glucose, triglycerides, and LDL were reduced, while β-hydroxybutyrate and IGFBP-1 increased. [45]
  • In the exploratory sub-study, TNF-α and CRP levels decreased at month 6, but there were no between-group effects and no differences in adipose tissue inflammatory genes. [74]
  • In 99 evaluable patients in the phase Ib trial, FMD reduced median plasma glucose by 18.6%, serum insulin by 50.7%, and serum IGF1 by 30.3%, while urinary ketones increased. [65]
  • In the same trial, each FMD cycle reduced body mass index, and the first three cycles produced only partial recovery of BMI. [65]
  • In 38 patients, FMD reduced circulating monocytes, HLA-DR-negative monocytes, PD-L1-positive monocytes, and low-density CD15-positive granulocytes. [65]
  • A sub-analysis of the NCT03340935 trial reported five patients with advanced solid tumors who achieved complete and long-lasting tumor responses while receiving cyclic FMD with standard systemic treatments. [66]
  • In early-stage triple-negative breast cancer, a 5-day cyclic FMD regimen combined with preoperative chemotherapy was reported to have excellent pathologic complete response rates in 30 patients in the BREAKFAST trial. [64]
  • In matched tumors from patients with HR+ breast cancer receiving endocrine therapy, a 5-day FMD was associated with increased GR transcriptional activity. [56]
  • The same review states that fasting or FMD cycles were feasible and safe in patients with different tumor types, including breast, melanoma, colorectal, lung, and gynecological cancers. [56]
  • In a pilot study of 10 people with metastatic non-small cell lung cancer on first-line therapy, one 4-day fasting-mimicking diet cycle was completed by 90% of participants and no grade 3 to 4 adverse events occurred. [4]
  • In that pilot study, the most common side effects were grade 1 to 2 nausea, abdominal pain, fatigue, and headache, and weight loss remained under 10% from baseline. [4]
  • In that pilot study, 80% of participants said they were willing to repeat the fasting-mimicking diet. [4]
  • In a survey of Irish cancer survivors, 16.5% of respondents who used biologically based complementary and alternative medicine reported intermittent fasting. [7]
  • In the same survey, the use of biologically based complementary and alternative medicine increased from 28.1% before cancer diagnosis to 33.5% after diagnosis, 26% of respondents who had not used BBCAM before diagnosis started using it after diagnosis, and 2% of BBCAM users reported using BBCAM as an alternative to conventional cancer treatment. [7]
  • In a mouse hepatocellular carcinoma model, nutrient restriction combined with sorafenib was reported to increase drug sensitivity and reduce tumor growth compared with sorafenib in growth medium. [16]
  • In a self-controlled clinical trial in adults with overweight or obesity, a modified 5:2 intermittent fasting diet was associated with lower BMI, waist circumference, fasting plasma glucose, fasting insulin, triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL cholesterol, uric acid, ALT, and IL-6 after 24 weeks. [15]
  • In the same anthracycline cardiotoxicity study, the combination of empagliflozin and time-restricted feeding did not clearly outperform the single interventions on the reported hemodynamic measures. [8]
  • The survivorship trial found that stronger rest-activity rhythms were generally associated with lower fatigue and greater well-being in several dimensions, intradaily variability and the HMM-derived rhythm index were positively associated with emotional well-being, earlier daily activity peaks were linked to greater emotional well-being, and there was no effect of group assignment to time-restricted eating versus control on any rest-activity parameter. [59]
  • In the scoping review, fasting-mimicking diet studies reported reductions in weight or body mass index in some cancer patients during active treatment, and reductions in IGF-1 were reported in most included studies; adherence was reported as high. [32]
  • The intermittent fasting review states that intermittent fasting may reduce chemotherapy-related toxicity and slow tumor growth, but it presents this as a growing-evidence claim rather than a settled conclusion. [33]
  • The intermittent fasting review states that clinical data in breast cancer patients on chemotherapy found that an 18-hour fasting window around treatment cycles avoided insulin and glucose spikes seen in non-fasting counterparts. [33]
  • The intermittent fasting review states that fasting-based interventions may improve treatment response, reduce toxicity, and improve treatment tolerance and quality of life, but it frames these as possible effects from early-phase studies. [32]
  • The breast-cancer obesity review states that intermittent fasting shows potential to reduce weight, improve metabolic health, modulate the gut microbiome, and influence inflammatory and hormonal signaling in breast cancer care, and that long-term studies are required to confirm effects on breast cancer survival and recurrence. [75]
  • The nocturnal-eating review states that daytime-aligned time-restricted eating has shown potential to restore circadian synchrony, enhance metabolic resilience, and improve gut health even without caloric restriction, and that TRE's role in cancer prevention remains hypothetical. [34]
  • Early-phase clinical trials reported that fasting-mimicking diets can reduce circulating IGF-1 levels in adults, and review literature states that fasting and fasting-mimicking diets may sensitize cancer cells to chemotherapy while protecting normal cells from treatment-induced damage. [47]
  • The review literature also states that fasting-based interventions are under investigation as adjuncts to standard cancer therapies, with early-phase clinical trials reporting promising biological effects. [47]
  • A periodic fasting-mimicking diet is described as having shown efficacy in alleviating disease symptoms and improving relevant markers in some disease populations, and the review proposes that it has the potential to replace water-only or very-low-energy fasting regimens. [76]
  • A review reports that intermittent fasting has been linked to improved responses to advanced chemotherapeutic regimens such as FOLFOX. [36]
  • A review states that time-restricted feeding has been studied for potential effects in cancer, but it also says there is considerable debate about what drives any observed benefits. [35]
  • A review states that intermittent fasting is not universally associated with favorable outcomes and that some patients show a worse clinical course while fasting. [36]
  • In ovarian cancer, a ketogenic diet was associated with improved insulin sensitivity, body composition, physical function, and reduced food cravings in available clinical studies. [50]
  • In a randomized trial in women with ovarian and endometrial cancer, a ketogenic diet improved physical function, increased energy, diminished specific food cravings, and reduced fasting serum insulin while retaining lean mass. [50]
  • In a randomized cross-over pilot study in gynecologic cancer, short-term fasting improved quality of life and fatigue during chemotherapy. [50]
  • The ovarian cancer review says that completed trials found ketogenic diet and short-term fasting improved chemotherapy-related symptoms and quality of life, but no mortality or survival data were published. [50]
  • The ovarian cancer review says that clinical trials of intermittent fasting and fasting-mimicking diets in ovarian cancer are ongoing and results are awaited. [50]
  • In glioma, a 2025 review says the role and benefits of medical nutrition therapy and ketogenic diet throughout the cancer continuum remain unclear, and describes ketogenic diet as a challenging yet feasible non-pharmacological adjuvant approach. [77]
  • The cancer review states that evidence for dietary regimes as complementary cancer therapy is limited and that more uniformly controlled clinical trials are needed. [41]
  • A GI cancer review describes growing evidence that KD and FMD may have therapeutic effects, while also noting that few studies have investigated these diets and that further studies are necessary. [43]
  • The TRE review reports that TRE protocols such as 16:8 and 14:10 improved body composition, insulin sensitivity, lipid profiles, and inflammation in the included studies, and also reports evidence pointing to enhanced mitochondrial function, appetite hormone modulation, and gut microbiota diversity. [42]
  • The hormonal review reports that intermittent fasting has been associated in some studies with lower insulin, lower glucose, lower leptin, lower IGF-1, and changes in cortisol and reproductive hormones. [78]
  • The cancer review states that fasting may protect healthy cells from chemotherapy-related toxic effects through a low-growth state while tumor cells remain vulnerable, a concept the review calls differential stress resistance. [43]
  • The cancer review states that fasting may lower insulin, glucose, and inflammatory markers and may be associated with slower tumor progression, survival, and quality-of-life outcomes in the studies it summarizes. [43]
  • The cancer review states that KD and FMD can influence the gut microbiota, which may affect treatment responses and toxicity profiles. [43]
  • The immunotherapy review states that high-fiber dietary patterns, especially Mediterranean-style patterns, have been associated with improved progression-free survival and response outcomes in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors. [79]
  • The immunotherapy review states that a recent phase 2 DIET study reported a preliminary positive trend for event-free survival, objective response rate, and immune-related adverse event rates with a high-fiber diet versus 20 g fiber intake, but that the data are immature. [79]
  • The immunotherapy review states that excessive consumption of cholesterol, sodium, and saturated fat has been associated with hyperprogressive disease in an NSCLC analysis during ICI therapy. [79]
  • In breast cancer, a multicenter randomized phase II trial reported that a fasting-mimicking diet given with neoadjuvant chemotherapy was associated with reduced toxicity and improved treatment tolerance compared with controls. [53]
  • Short-term fasting before chemotherapy was reported in clinical observations and early-phase trials to be associated with less fatigue, nausea, mucositis, neutropenia, and cardiotoxicity, and the same review reports that it was associated with improved tolerance to chemotherapy, faster recovery, and earlier return to daily activities. [53]
  • A review of intermittent fasting and fasting-mimicking diets reports that these interventions have been associated with improved quality of life and with enhanced efficacy and tolerability of therapy. [51]
  • A review of dietary interventions in cancer patients states that clinical studies have found no substantial benefit of over-the-counter vitamin supplements and dietary interventions on cancer patients' health and prognosis. [52]
  • In the same ovarian cancer model, intermittent fasting alone had reported antitumor activity of about 50% by the study’s best tumor-control measure, and lowered glycemia and downregulated mIGF1 during the fasting cycles. [13]
  • In the hereditary cancer syndromes review, intermittent fasting is described as having been linked in laboratory and epidemiologic studies to improved systemic function, prevention of obesity, improved body composition, and improved metabolic parameters such as glycemia, lipid profile, and blood pressure. [12]
  • The same review states that intermittent fasting has been associated with reduced IL-6, CRP, and TNF-α levels and suppression of IGF-1 in clinical investigations. [12]
  • A rat study of time-restricted feeding reported lower body weight, lower serum triglycerides, lower total cholesterol, lower LDL-C, and lower atherogenic index compared with obese controls. [80]
  • The same rat study reported lower aortic malondialdehyde and lower aortic TNF-α and IL-6, together with higher aortic superoxide dismutase, in TRF groups compared with obese controls, and also reported thinner aortic intima-media thickness and improved liver and kidney histology. [80]
  • The colorectal cancer source reports that FMD and Bifidobacterium pseudolongum improved anti-CTLA-4 efficacy in an orthotopic mouse CRC model, and that in patients with colorectal cancer increased CD8+ TRM cells together with accumulation of Bifidobacterium pseudolongum and L-arginine were reported during FMD. [20]
  • The colorectal cancer source reports that higher abundance of CD8+ TRM cells and Bifidobacterium pseudolongum was associated with better prognosis in patients with colorectal cancer. [20]
  • In the acute myeloid leukemia source, caloric restriction was reported to increase leukemia-initiating cell frequency and enrich a CKFG cell population, downregulate interferon-alpha and interferon-gamma signaling and several dsRNA-sensing genes, and LSD1 inhibition under caloric restriction was reported to normalize bone marrow and spleen architecture and prolong survival in most treated mice. [24]
  • In the intermittent fasting review, time-restricted eating studies generally reported body-weight decreases, but the review also states that gut-microbiota findings were inconsistent across studies, and 5:2 diet studies reported weight loss with variable or contradictory microbiome and metabolomic findings. [21]
  • In that study, FMD changed the gut microbiota, including an increase in Lactobacillaceae and Lactobacillus and a decrease in Erysipelotrichaceae. [68]
  • The pancreatic neoplasm review states that ketogenic diet is distinct from fasting or calorie-restricted diets and that fasting leads to fluctuations in energy levels when normal eating resumes. [81]
  • In a 2025 meta-analysis of inflammatory markers, intermittent fasting was associated with lower TNF-α, CRP, and leptin compared with control in pairwise analysis, and did not show a significant increase in adiponectin. [82]
  • In a 2025 meta-analysis of gynecological and breast cancer patients, intermittent fasting was associated with reduced body weight, waist circumference, fasting blood glucose, insulin, and leptin in some included studies, while some other studies found no significant effect on weight loss or chemotherapy-related toxicity. [1]
  • The 2025 meta-analysis of cancer patients found a small but statistically significant reduction in insulin with exercise interventions, and TNF-alpha showed a small non-significant effect. [83]
  • The 2025 meta-analysis of inflammatory biomarkers in people with obesity or overweight found that intermittent fasting was associated with a significant decrease in TNF-alpha, while no associations were detected for CRP or IL-6. [84]
  • In a 2023 systematic review and meta-analysis of cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy, fasting-like regimens were reported as having no differential effect on the main outcomes compared with conventional diet or other comparators, although there was a trend toward reduced adverse events such as headache, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and hematologic toxicity. [29]
  • In the preoperative colorectal cancer surgery cohort, a dietitian-led very low calorie diet clinic was associated with a median 4.75 kg weight loss and no VLCD-related adverse events. [23]
Show 32 lab & early-research findings
  • The same review reports that fasting and fasting-mimicking diets have been associated with reduced tumor growth in preclinical models of glioma, breast cancer, melanoma, and pancreatic cancer. [53][51]
  • In the 2026 prostate cancer review, alternate-day fasting had the strongest preclinical evidence for direct modulation of androgen receptor signaling. [85]
  • In the 2026 prostate cancer review, fasting-mimicking diets were described as reducing circulating glucose, insulin, and IGF-1 and suppressing mTOR signaling in preclinical and clinical settings, with an indirect rationale for possible modulation of androgen receptor activity through reductions in insulin and IGF-1 signaling. [85]
  • In the animal review of liver cancer, restrictive diets including fasting were reported to reduce tumor incidence and progression in animal models. [31]
  • In the radiotherapy review, preclinical studies suggested that short fasting before radiation or transient caloric restriction during treatment could increase tumor responsiveness. [28]
  • In the same study, FMD increased activated or cytotoxic immune-cell markers including CD8+PD-1+CD69+ cells, CD3+CD25+ cells, and CD3−CD16+CD56dim cells in some patient groups. [65]
  • In mice with HR+ breast cancer xenografts, weekly 48-hour fasting cycles combined with tamoxifen showed synergistic in vivo anti-tumor effects. [56]
  • In a preclinical ALL study, starvation conditions changed cAMP signaling from reducing DNA damage-induced cell death to increasing it in leukemic cells. [5]
  • In that ALL study, intermittent fasting in mice improved the inhibitory effect of DNA-damaging irradiation on leukemia progression. [5]
  • In the glioblastoma study, intermittent fasting was associated with improved prognosis in Tp53-mutated mouse models but not in Cdkn2a mouse models. [6]
  • In a mouse model of HSP27 autoimmune glaucoma-like damage, intermittent fasting was reported to mitigate retinal ganglion cell loss, gliosis, and inflammatory markers after intravitreal HSP27 injection. [18]
  • In an MPTP mouse model of Parkinson's disease, intermittent fasting was reported to mitigate motor impairment, alpha-synuclein aggregation, dopaminergic neuron loss, intestinal dysfunction, and inflammatory changes. [19]
  • In a breast cancer mouse model, combining a fasting-mimicking diet with a photosynthetic nanoplatform and light irradiation was reported to produce the most potent tumor inhibition and to prevent tumor recurrence in a rechallenge model. [10]
  • In a renal cancer mouse model, intermittent fasting combined with metformin was reported to suppress tumor growth, with a more pronounced anti-tumor effect in PBRM1-knockout tumors than in wild-type tumors, and it induced substantial glycemic fluctuations in mice. [11]
  • In the systematic review of preclinical cancer studies, the included reports described FMD as being studied alone or with chemotherapy, hormone therapy, immunotherapy, proteasome inhibitors, targeted therapies, vitamin C, and antimalarials, and the included preclinical studies consistently demonstrated potential antitumor effects of FMD. [57]
  • The CHRONO trial protocol lists pathologic complete response, organ preservation rate, clinical response, tumor response, quality of life, and adverse events as outcomes to be measured, and states that fasting combined with anti-cancer therapies improves tumor regression and survival in animals and sensitizes cancer cells to cytotoxic therapies while promoting stress resistance in healthy cells. [58]
  • A review reports that caloric restriction in mice enhanced radiotherapy outcome and was associated with slower tumor growth, and that preclinical implementation of caloric restriction has varied widely across studies, which hinders clinical translation. [67]
  • The ovarian cancer review says preclinical studies found that calorie restriction reduced tumor growth, while high-energy diets were associated with more rapid and aggressive cancer growth in mouse models. [50]
  • The cancer review states that FMD may promote tumor cell apoptosis, reduce systemic inflammation, and improve immune responses. [43]
  • In a preclinical ovarian cancer model, intermittent fasting added to cisplatin plus metformin was associated with greater tumor growth inhibition and longer survival than the drug combination without intermittent fasting. [13]
  • A sarcoma preclinical study reported that caloric restriction combined with doxorubicin reduced tumor volume and mass and was associated with lower oxidative stress markers and higher antioxidant activity in the tumor. [86]
  • The same sarcoma study reported preserved body weight, lower serum triglycerides, fewer hematological alterations, and reduced markers of DNA damage in peripheral blood with caloric restriction plus doxorubicin, and concluded that the combination was feasible and safe in that preclinical model. [86]
  • In a colorectal cancer mouse model, FMD was reported to enrich Bifidobacterium pseudolongum and increase tissue-resident memory CD8+ T cells. [20]
  • In the same colorectal cancer source, L-arginine was reported to increase with FMD and to induce the TRM phenotype in vivo and in vitro. [20]
  • In mouse models of acute myeloid leukemia, caloric restriction was reported to delay blast accumulation and prolong survival, but leukemia later re-expanded in all CR mice. [24]
  • In a colorectal cancer mouse model, cyclic FMD delayed tumor growth and progression and was associated with lower tumor weight than normal diet. [68]
  • In the same colorectal cancer mouse model, FMD was associated with higher CD45+ cells and higher CD8+ T cells in tumor tissue and peripheral blood mononuclear cells. [68]
  • The same study reported that oral gavage with Lactobacillus johnsonii reduced colorectal tumor growth in mice, while Lactobacillus murinus did not show a significant difference. [68]
  • The 2024 review states that preclinical tumor models showed antitumor effects of cyclic fasting and FMD, and that these effects became synergistic when combined with a wide range of standard anticancer treatments. [60]
  • The same review states that cyclic FMD was reported to protect normal tissues from treatment-induced adverse events in preclinical models. [60]
  • The colorectal cancer commentary reports that intermittent serum starvation combined with cannabidiol and cisplatin showed strong synergistic interactions in tested colorectal cancer cell lines. [87]
  • In a small Ramadan-fasting case series in breast cancer patients treated with docetaxel, some patients reported improvement in nausea, fatigue, and feeling better during fasting. [25]
Proposed mechanismsFasting and fasting-mimicking diets are described as shifting metabolism away from glucose toward fatty-acid oxidation and ketone use, while also affecting insulin/IGF-1 signaling, autophagy, inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune pathways. Several sources also describe proposed effects on tumor cell stress responses, gene expression, and the tumor microenvironment.73 points
  • Fasting can induce autophagy and activate AMPK, while AMPK can inhibit mTORC1 and promote catabolic pathways. [85][35][88][36]4 sources
  • Fasting-related effects may also involve inflammation, insulin sensitivity, and body composition. [35][36][67]3 sources
  • Reviews describe fasting-related approaches as being linked to changes in insulin sensitivity, inflammatory pathways, gut microbiota, autophagy, and gene expression; one review also discusses oxidative stress in obesity-related inflammatory signaling. [63][62]
  • In people with obesity and MAFLD, Ramadan intermittent fasting has been associated with enhanced expression of autophagy-related genes and restoration of autophagic flux; reviews also describe intermittent fasting as acting through multiple mechanisms, including autophagy. [89][33]
  • Fasting-related metabolic changes include shifts toward fatty acid oxidation and ketone body production. [36][88]
  • Intermittent fasting activates autophagy through nutrient-sensing pathways, including increased AMPK activity and inhibition of mTORC1, and increases expression of autophagy markers such as LC3-II, Beclin-1, and ATG proteins. [69][70]
  • Fasting and fasting-mimicking diets are described as affecting glucose-insulin metabolism, insulin-like growth factor 1, autophagy, inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune responses. [53][51]
  • Intermittent fasting may improve insulin sensitivity and may offer anticancer effects by modifying tumor metabolism. [54]
  • Time-restricted eating can shift metabolism toward fatty-acid oxidation and ketone use during fasting intervals, and has been linked to increased insulin sensitivity and cellular stress resistance. [55]
  • Intermittent fasting and fasting-mimicking diets reduce circulating insulin and IGF-1 and reprogram nutrient-sensing pathways. [85]
  • Metabolic stress from intermittent fasting can alter androgen receptor expression and activity, including nuclear translocation and splice variants such as AR-V7. [85]
  • Obesity-related cancer mechanisms described in one source include chronic inflammation, hypoxia, adipokines, and insulin/IGF signaling. [54]
  • Dietary interventions may influence cancer immunotherapy outcomes through microbiome changes. [72]
  • Intermittent fasting may reduce the synthesis of growth factors, pro-inflammatory cytokines, and anabolic hormones, and may decrease oxidative stress and free radical-induced DNA damage. [1]
  • Intermittent fasting may deplete hepatic glycogen reserves and increase fatty acids and ketones, which the authors describe as a possible way to increase cancer cell sensitivity to chemotherapy and impede proliferation. [2]
  • In obesity-related triple-negative breast cancer, intermittent fasting was associated with changes in cell cycle, epithelial-mesenchymal transition, immune contexture, and proinflammatory signature. [30]
  • Fasting and caloric restriction may reduce oxidative stress and DNA damage through effects on cellular antioxidant systems, with sirtuins, FOXO, TOR, AMPK, and NRF2 implicated in stress resistance and antioxidant responses. [27]
  • Fasting or caloric restriction before radiation may lead to accumulation of oxidative lesions and insufficient repair in cancer cells, while healthy cells may be less sensitive. [28]
  • These regimens might also stimulate an acute anticancer immune response. [28]
  • The DIRECT trial states that fasting and fasting-mimicking diets may lower insulin, glucose, and IGF-1, and describes differential stress resistance in healthy cells and differential stress sensitization in cancer cells as proposed mechanisms. [44]
  • FMD cycles reduced body weight and decreased IGF-1, fasting glucose, triglycerides, cholesterol, and C-reactive protein in some participants. [45]
  • A 2025 sub-study found no differences in inflammatory gene expression in adipose tissue between intervention groups. [74]
  • In hormone receptor-positive breast cancer models, fasting increased circulating corticosterone or cortisol and progesterone, increased nuclear localization of GR, and increased GR chromatin binding and transcriptional activity; the review also reports increased chromatin occupancy of GR and PR at the ZBTB16 locus with increased H3K27ac at that site. [56]
  • Fasting reduced enhancer activity at AP-1 sites without changing AP-1 binding at those sites. [56]
  • In the BREAKFAST trial, bulk and single-cell RNA sequencing showed early downmodulation of glycolysis and pyruvate metabolism pathways in tumors that achieved pathologic complete response. [64]
  • One review states that fasting-related mechanisms may include reduced insulin/IGF-1 signaling with effects on PI3K/AKT/mTOR and Ras/MAPK pathways, and increased expression of tumor-suppressive clock genes. [63]
  • The ALL study reported that starvation-induced cell death involved reactive oxygen species and p38 MAPK activation. [5]
  • The glioblastoma study reported that intermittent fasting was associated with lower METTL3 expression, lower TGFB2 expression, and reduced m6A abundance in Tp53 GBM tissue, and also reshaped the gut microbiota and was linked to changes in methionine metabolism. [6]
  • In a fasting-mimicking diet mouse study, fasting induced NRF1 in tumor-associated macrophages, increased ubiquitinated proteins, promoted ubiquitin/proteasome-dependent Trex1 degradation, derepressed the cGAS-Sting-IFNβ axis, and increased type I interferon responses in tumor-associated macrophages. [14]
  • In the HCC nutrient-restriction study, the authors reported reduced ERK activation under nutrient restriction. [16]
  • In the Parkinson's disease mouse study, the authors reported suppression of TLR4/NF-kB signaling in the colon and substantia nigra. [19]
  • In the obesity trial, the modified 5:2 intermittent fasting diet was accompanied by changes in serum metabolomics pathways, but the excerpt provided does not list the specific pathways. [15]
  • Intermittent fasting and time-restricted feeding are proposed to improve insulin sensitivity, reduce inflammation, lower triglycerides, decrease blood pressure, and confer cardiovascular protection through reductions in inflammation and oxidative stress; intermittent fasting may also increase myocardial energy availability through ketone body production. [8]
  • In the renal cancer study, glucose deprivation and metformin were reported to induce disulfidptosis, with the effect rescued by 2-ME and linked to increased intracellular disulfide bonds and F-actin reorganization; PBRM1 knockout increased chromatin accessibility at the SLC7A11 promoter and higher SLC7A11 expression was associated with the disulfidptosis phenotype. [11]
  • Therapeutic fasting may alter gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acids, ketone bodies, and stress pathways such as cortisol, catecholamines, and orexin A. [9]
  • Fasting-mimicking diets are intended to simulate fasting-induced metabolic states and influence cancer cell metabolism and therapeutic responsiveness; FMD cycles are associated with reduced glucose, IGF-1, and IGFBP-1 levels and increased ketone bodies. [57]
  • Reduced IGF-1 lowered HIF-1α mRNA expression in circulating neutrophils and limited HILPDA expression in tumor-infiltrating neutrophils, with these changes associated with decreased lipid accumulation in tumor-infiltrating neutrophils and enhanced anti-tumor immunity by decreasing lipid transfer to tumor and immune effector cells. [90]
  • Intermittent fasting can suppress insulin and IGF-1 signaling, reduce PI3K/Akt/mTOR pathway activity, reduce oxidative stress markers, increase antioxidant activity, alter immune signaling including reductions in interleukin-6, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, and interleukin-1 beta, and change gut microbiota and bile acid signaling including increases in Akkermansia muciniphila and Bifidobacterium and activation of FXR. [33]
  • Nocturnal eating desynchronizes circadian clocks, alters clock-gene expression, and provokes gut dysbiosis and inflammatory signaling; meal timing may influence cancer risk through the circadian system and gut microbiota. [34]
  • Fasting may reduce circulating insulin and IGF-1, inhibit PI3K/Akt/mTOR signaling, activate autophagy, and support differential stress resistance. [32]
  • Fasting and fasting-mimicking diets are discussed through the concepts of differential stress resistance and differential stress sensitization, and fasting activates autophagy through the AMPK–mTORC1–ULK1 signaling axis. [47]
  • Fasting and fasting-mimicking diets can reduce growth-promoting factors such as IGF-1 and downregulate PI3K/AKT/mTOR signaling, while also lowering oxidative stress and ROS production and enhancing antioxidant defenses. [47]
  • Fasting-related effects are also discussed in relation to the Warburg effect, metabolic reprogramming, and shifts toward fatty acid oxidation and oxidative phosphorylation in normal cells. [47]
  • Dietary strategies may act through metabolic regulation, weight management, hormone signaling, immune function, and the gut microbiome. [48]
  • Fasting-related patterns may act through caloric restriction, fasting duration, feeding timing, and circadian alignment. [35]
  • Ketogenic diets are believed to shift metabolism from glucose to ketones and may reduce insulin/IGF-1 and inflammation. [50]
  • β-hydroxybutyrate-mediated signaling is one of the pathways discussed in relation to intermittent fasting and autophagy. [70]
  • FMD creates a catabolic state with reduced glucose, insulin, and IGF-1 and increased glucagon, adiponectin, and ketone bodies; these changes activate lipolysis and autophagy, suppress the PI3K-Akt-mTOR pathway, and shift energy metabolism toward fat oxidation and ketogenesis. [43]
  • Fasting may work through differential stress resistance, autophagy, immune-cell regeneration, and reduced insulin, glucose, and inflammatory markers. [43]
  • High-fiber dietary patterns may influence the gut microbiota, short-chain fatty acid metabolism, gastrointestinal barrier integrity, and immune activity. [79]
  • Proposed mechanisms for time-restricted eating include circadian alignment, improved glycemic regulation, and changes in appetite hormones and gut microbiota, and early feeding aligned with circadian rhythms yielded better glycemic outcomes in the studies reviewed. [42]
  • The long-term effects of dietary interventions on mitochondrial homeostasis and overall mammalian metabolism remain poorly understood, and some studies show dietary restrictions can influence mitochondrial physiology even though the molecular mechanisms behind most of these effects remain poorly understood. [91]
  • Dietary restriction literature contains apparently contradictory findings, especially under pathological conditions. [91]
  • Fasting-mimicking diets are linked to changes in tumor-associated macrophages, monocytic myeloid-derived suppressor cells, T cells, and B cells. [51]
  • Fasting may trigger autophagy and sirtuin activation, and intermittent fasting can cause decreased insulin levels, enhanced fat breakdown, increased oxidative stress in cancer cells, and treatment sensitivity. [12]
  • In ovarian cancer, intermittent fasting added to cisplatin plus metformin was linked to reduced systemic IGF1 and a compromised tumor energy state with lower ATP production and a higher AMP/ATP ratio, and it did not change tumor drug concentrations in plasma or tissue. [13]
  • Time-restricted feeding was associated with lower aortic oxidative stress and inflammation markers, including lower MDA, TNF-α, and IL-6 and higher SOD. [80]
  • The combined caloric-restriction regimen in sarcoma was associated with lower oxidative stress markers and increased antioxidant activity in the tumor. [86]
  • Bifidobacterium pseudolongum may contribute to FMD-associated antitumour effects by producing L-arginine, which was transported by SLC7A1 in CD8+ T cells. [20]
  • Caloric restriction was linked to reduced insulin/IGF1 signaling and reduced interferon signaling in leukemic blasts, and was associated with increased LSD1 protein levels in APL blasts. [24]
  • FMD was used to boost cellular uptake of nanovaccines in antigen-presenting cells and to increase STING signaling and IFN-β secretion in dendritic cells; it also enhanced LC3 expression, LC3 lipidation, ER stress, and ubiquitinated proteins in dendritic cells. [22]
  • Intermittent fasting has been discussed in relation to gut microbiota, metabolic health, circadian rhythm, and colon tumorigenesis. [21]
  • In colorectal cancer models, FMD was linked to increased CD8+ T-cell activation markers TNFA and IFNG in tumor tissue and to a gut microbiota shift that included Lactobacillus johnsonii. [68]
  • Sources describe regulating nutrient availability and metabolism by calorie restriction and intermittent fasting in cancer cells, and note that periodic depletion of cancer cells of primary fuel could result in synergy with chemo- and possibly radiotherapy. [87]
  • β-hydroxybutyrate is described as a signaling molecule that affects gene expression, lipid metabolism, nervous system function, and metabolic efficiency. [81]
  • Caloric restriction can interact with autophagy, and autophagy can both enhance and decrease cancer progression. [92]
Show 7 lab & early-research findings
  • Fasting-like regimens have been studied for effects on cell cycle, autophagy, immune-related features, and inflammation-related markers; some preclinical studies also report changes in migration and invasion. [30][29]
  • Fasting can decrease IGF-1 levels and shift energy expenditure from growth to survival, and preclinical models also suggest possible effects on hematopoietic stem cell-based regeneration and the gut microbiome. [29]
  • Preclinical and clinical breast cancer studies suggest intermittent fasting may affect chemotherapy-related toxicity and tumor growth. [25]
  • Fasting and FMD reduce blood glucose, insulin, and IGF1, which are linked to inhibition of anabolic processes that support cancer cell growth and proliferation. [65]
  • In mouse xenografts, fasting plus tamoxifen was associated with inhibition of proliferation-related pathways including MYC and E2F targets and decreased mTOR activity. [56]
  • In EOC xenografts, a 16-hour intermittent fasting regimen induced an anticancer immune response by increasing CD4+ and CD8+ immune cells and reducing metabolic growth factors and cytokines. [50]
  • Fasting can reduce glucose and IGF-1 levels and suppress the PI3K/AKT/mTOR axis, induce autophagy with LC3-II, Beclin-1, and p62/SQSTM1 as biomarkers, and may alter the tumor immune microenvironment by increasing CD8+ T-cell infiltration and reducing myeloid-derived suppressor cells in preclinical studies. [53]
Practical considerationsFasting and fasting-mimicking approaches in oncology are described in a range of schedules, from time-restricted eating and intermittent fasting to multi-day fasting-mimicking diets and short fasting windows around treatment. Practical use is often framed by feasibility, adherence, patient selection, and monitoring needs.60 points
  • Compliance with fasting-like regimens was reported as less than 60% across all cycles in four studies and 20% in the DIRECT fasting-mimicking diet trial. [29][44]
  • Intermittent fasting has been studied in forms including time-restricted feeding, alternate-day fasting, and 5:2 fasting, and is also described as including short fasting periods, time-restricted feeding, and longer multi-day fasts before oncologic treatment. [78][53]
  • Time-restricted eating is defined as limiting eating to a daily or near-daily window, often 6 to 12 hours, and it can be done without deliberate calorie restriction. [55]
  • Fasting-mimicking diets are described as short cycles, typically 3 to 5 days per month, with low overall calories and a specific macronutrient composition. [85]
  • The studies included in the analysis had a minimum follow-up duration of 2 weeks, and the longest follow-up was 6 chemotherapy cycles. [1]
  • The 2025 chemotherapy and targeted-therapy review included nine studies and reported that most patients were women with breast cancer. [2]
  • In chemotherapy studies, fasting-like regimens were used for 24 to 72 hours before chemotherapy and/or 24 hours after chemotherapy in some studies. [29]
  • Intermittent fasting is defined as episodic periods of little or no calorie intake, and some programs use fasting every other day, complete 24-hour fasting, or fasting on one or two nonconsecutive days per week. [29]
  • Fasting-mimicking diets in the chemotherapy studies were plant-based liquid diets with low amino-acid substitution. [29]
  • In the breast cancer review, intermittent fasting patterns included alternate-day fasting, fasting two days per week, periodic fasting, and time-restricted feeding. [25]
  • Time-restricted feeding is described as eating within a specific daily time frame, usually 6 to 12 hours. [25]
  • One breast cancer study used a 14:10 time-restricted feeding regimen for 2 weeks, and another used fasting from 36 hours before chemotherapy to 24 hours after chemotherapy. [25]
  • The radiotherapy review defines fasting as complete absence of food for longer than 12 hours and caloric restriction as reduced caloric intake for longer than 12 hours. [27]
  • The prostate cancer review describes dietary interventions that included general healthy-eating guidelines, low-carbohydrate or low-glycaemic index diets, and supplements such as whey protein, soy, and vitamin D. [26]
  • The 2017 randomized trial used three 5-day fasting-mimicking diet cycles and reported that the diet provided 3000 to 4600 kJ per day with high micronutrient nourishment. [45]
  • The 2017 trial reported a 25% dropout rate during the fasting-mimicking diet period, compared with a 10% dropout rate during the control diet period. [45]
  • The most common reasons for nonadherence in the 2017 trial were scheduling conflicts, personal issues, and dislike of the diet. [45]
  • The pilot study fasting-mimicking diet was described as a plant-based, calorie-restricted, low-carbohydrate, low-protein, 4- or 5-day diet. [4]
  • In the pilot study, participants had metastatic non-small cell lung cancer, were clinically stable on first-line therapy for at least 2 months, and most were receiving oral targeted therapy. [4]
  • The Irish survivor survey reported that restrictive diets and special diets were common forms of biologically based complementary and alternative medicine after cancer diagnosis, and that cancer survivors often used supplements, herbal remedies, and special diets, with intermittent fasting among the special diets listed. [7]
  • In the obesity trial, the modified 5:2 intermittent fasting diet used two non-consecutive fasting days per week with 25% to 30% of required daily energy intake based on ideal body weight, plus five days of habitual intake and a minimum of 6,000 steps per day. [15]
  • In the HSP27 mouse study, the fasting schedule was food omission for 24 hours on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. [18]
  • In the HCC mouse study, the intermittent fasting schedule was 16 hours of food and water withdrawal every day. [16]
  • The breast cancer feasibility protocol used a 7-day therapeutic fasting program with a maximum intake of about 350 kcal per day, plus preparation and refeeding phases. [9]
  • The same protocol included frequent contact with the study team, 24-hour telephone assistance, and supervision by a nutritionist and a physician. [9]
  • The protocol excluded patients with type 1 or type 2 diabetes, pregnancy or breastfeeding, BMI below 20 kg/m2, severe oncological comorbidity, or ongoing chemotherapy. [9]
  • The anthracycline cardiotoxicity study excluded patients with heart failure, diabetes, renal failure, hemodynamic instability, sepsis, or recurrent urinary tract infections. [8]
  • The CHRONO protocol uses early time-restricted eating defined as an eating window of 8 hours or less early in the day, and compares it with eating over a 12-hour or longer window from around the start of treatment until surgery. [58]
  • The PFMD review defines a periodic fasting-mimicking diet as cycles of fasting for 2 or more days while basic nutritional needs are met within a restricted caloric intake. [76]
  • Long-term adherence to strict dietary restrictions and prolonged fasting can be challenging and may lead to unhealthy rebound eating habits. [76]
  • Targeted dietary interventions, including fasting regimens, may be informed by tumor subtype, treatment context, host biology, obesity, metabolic dysfunction, genetics and epigenetics, and microbiome composition. [48]
  • Digital tools and multi-omics approaches are being discussed as supports for personalization of dietary recommendations. [48]
  • Time-restricted feeding is described as maintaining a consistent daily cycle of feeding and fasting. [35]
  • A mouse caloric-restriction protocol reduced intake by 30% over two weeks using gradual weaning and monitoring. [67]
  • Fasting protocols in athletes should be individually tailored, and biomarkers such as circulating ketones may be monitored in performance settings. [36]
  • In ovarian cancer, shorter-term fasting protocols lasting 12 to 72 hours with unrestricted eating windows may be more feasible and suitable for people undergoing cancer treatment than prolonged fasting. [49]
  • In ovarian cancer, a fasting-mimicking diet is consumed for three to five days during each chemotherapy cycle. [49]
  • The glioma review says standard guidelines regarding macronutrient composition of ketogenic diet for glioma are warranted, and that the need for nutritional guidance from a registered dietitian nutritionist during ketogenic diet adherence is understated. [77]
  • Clinical trials of dietary regimes as complementary cancer therapy are limited by differences in trial design, patient characteristics, and cancer type. [41]
  • The TRE review included protocols such as 16:8 and 14:10, and noted that real-world TRE may coincide with unintentional reductions in energy intake and other lifestyle adjustments, so careful monitoring is needed to safeguard nutritional adequacy and sustainability. [42]
  • Ongoing trials are evaluating Mediterranean-style diets, higher fiber intake, prebiotic-containing foods, and fermented foods in patients receiving immune checkpoint inhibitors. [79]
  • In gastrointestinal cancers, FMD is described as a periodic low-calorie, low-protein, low-carbohydrate pattern that provides essential nutrients while mimicking fasting, and KD is described as a high-fat, low-carbohydrate diet that induces ketosis. [43]
  • Clinical implementation of intermittent fasting in oncology requires personalized implementation and monitoring frameworks that integrate mechanistic insights and clinical applicability. [53]
  • Glucose, insulin, IGF-1, CRP, IL-6, LC3, Beclin-1, IGFBP-3, gut microbiota composition, immune cell subsets, 18F-FDG PET, and MRI are monitoring tools or biomarkers discussed for intermittent fasting in oncology. [53]
  • Intermittent fasting protocols in hereditary cancer syndromes are described as alternate-day fasting, the 16:8 method, prolonged fasting, and weekly whole-day fasting. [12]
  • Some intermittent fasting methods allow about 25% of daily caloric intake on fasting days and no restrictions on feeding days. [12]
  • Fasting windows typically range from 16 to 36 hours, and most do not exceed 24 hours of complete caloric abstinence. [12]
  • The ovarian cancer study used a 24-hour fasting cycle three times per week for four weeks, with water allowed during fasting. [13]
  • The rat time-restricted feeding study used a daily eating window of 4 to 12 hours, and the authors describe TRF as extending nighttime fasting to over 12 hours. [80]
  • The sarcoma study used a 40% caloric restriction protocol for 10 days after sarcoma induction. [86]
  • The intermittent fasting review defines time-restricted eating as limiting caloric intake to a specific daily time window, and defines the 5:2 or 6:1 regimen as eating without restriction for most days of the week and restricting calories or fasting on one or two days each week. [21]
  • The preoperative colorectal surgery study evaluated a dietitian-led very low calorie diet clinic before surgery, with a median interval of 30 days from baseline to surgery. [23]
  • The colorectal cancer mouse study used a cyclic regimen of 4 days of FMD followed by 3 days of unrestricted normal diet, and body weight loss during FMD cycles was within 10% in one experiment and about 20% in another experiment, with weight regained during re-feeding. [68]
  • The 2024 review states that cyclic FMD was feasible in phase 1/2 clinical trials. [60]
  • The pancreatic neoplasm review states that fasting is less stable than a sustained ketogenic diet and that fasting is described as unsustainable over time in that discussion. [81]
  • Ramadan fasting was excluded from the 2025 time-restricted eating meta-analysis. [82]
  • The 2025 inflammatory-marker meta-analysis included adults with and without chronic disease and interventions lasting at least 2 weeks. [82]
  • The 2025 cancer meta-analysis reported exercise-related adverse events such as pain, flu-like symptoms, foot blisters, and injuries, and no serious exercise-related adverse events. [83]
Show 2 lab & early-research findings
  • The anthracycline cardiotoxicity study used a 16-hour fasting and 8-hour feeding schedule in rats and described this window as generally well tolerated in humans with high adherence and limited discomfort. [8]
  • In the preclinical systematic review, fasting-mimicking diet cycles commonly used a 50% caloric reduction on day 1 followed by a 90% reduction on days 2 to 4, and refeeding durations varied from 1 day to 11 days. [57]
Safety & interactionsEvidence on fasting and fasting-mimicking diets in cancer care is mixed, with many reviews describing feasibility or safety in selected studies but also noting limited data, adherence challenges, and unresolved long-term safety. Several sources also caution that fasting can be problematic in malnourished, frail, or otherwise high-risk patients and may interact with treatment-related toxicity or metabolic status.82 points
  • Prolonged fasting may impair muscle strength, muscle repair, and muscle protein synthesis in some contexts. [36][88]
  • Patients with obesity have more complications related to surgery, radiation, and chemotherapy, and systemic chemotherapy and endocrine therapy are less effective. [54]
  • Chemotherapy, radiation, and antibiotics can disrupt the gut microbiome and lead to dysbiosis, and microbiota changes may shape treatment response and toxicity severity. [55]
  • The microbiome may influence immune checkpoint inhibitor response rates. [72]
  • The evidence base is limited by small sample sizes and variable study duration. [71]
  • Well-designed clinical trials and comprehensive nutritional assessments are needed to establish the efficacy and safety of dietary interventions in cancer care. [54]
  • Intermittent fasting was reported as safe and feasible, but definitive conclusions about treatment effectiveness and chemotherapy-related side effects could not be drawn. [2]
  • Findings for chemotherapy-related toxicity were inconsistent, including one study that did not significantly improve toxicity. [1]
  • No association was found between intermittent fasting and CRP or IL-6, although the same review reported a significant TNF-alpha decrease. [84]
  • No serious exercise-related adverse events were reported in the included exercise studies, but this safety finding applies to exercise interventions rather than fasting. [83]
  • Therapeutic fasting was well tolerated without serious side effects in the included studies. [29]
  • No patients experienced significant weight loss at the end of the studies. [29]
  • One intermittent fasting study reported a higher incidence of constipation than the non-fasting group. [29]
  • Malnourished patients were excluded from the fasting-like regimen trials. [29]
  • None of the randomized trials reported whether granulocyte colony-stimulating factor prescription was allowed to reduce neutropenic complications. [29]
  • Fasting-related adverse effects were reported in some breast cancer studies, but the details varied by study design and measurement method. [25]
  • Some studies reported no nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, or mucositis during fasting, while fatigue and weakness were reduced. [25]
  • Maintaining weight is a major factor for the success of radiotherapy, which is one reason caloric starvation was described as potentially counterproductive during radiotherapy. [28]
  • The DIRECT trial reported no grade V toxicity and no significant increase in grade III/IV adverse events with the fasting-mimicking diet. [44]
  • The 2017 randomized trial reported no adverse effects of grade 3 or higher during three fasting-mimicking diet cycles. [45]
  • The 2017 trial reported mild and moderate symptoms, most commonly fatigue, weakness, and headaches. [45]
  • Preiftar and predawn levothyroxine regimens maintained thyroid stability during intermittent fasting and had comparable compliance and satisfaction. [93]
  • Cyclic FMD was reported as safe and feasible in patients with cancer receiving standard anticancer treatments, but grade 3 or 4 FMD-related adverse events including hypoglycemia, syncope, nausea, dizziness, and increased aspartate aminotransferase were also reported. [65]
  • Poor acceptability, inability to maintain BMI above 20 kg/m2, patient decision, tumor progression, adverse events, completed treatment, and surgery were reasons for FMD discontinuation. [65]
  • Prolonged combined dietary intervention during endocrine therapy is highly challenging to adhere to because adjuvant endocrine regimens can last five to ten years. [56]
  • Restrictive or unproven dietary practices may worsen malnutrition and cancer-related cachexia and may contribute to clinically significant weight loss that can delay or interrupt planned oncological treatment. [7]
  • Biologically based complementary and alternative medicine can create pharmacokinetic interactions with systemic anti-cancer therapies through cytochrome P450 enzymes and drug transporters. [7]
  • Some unregulated products used by survivors included cannabis-derived THC, laetrile, and other biological medicines. [7]
  • The pilot fasting-mimicking diet study reported no grade 3 to 4 adverse events and only grade 1 to 2 symptoms. [4]
  • Weight loss stayed below 10% from baseline during the fasting-mimicking diet cycle. [4]
  • Some studies found slight increases in HbA1c and cholesterol during prolonged fasting. [63]
  • Direct evidence in humans is limited for several proposed mechanisms, and extrapolation from other intermittent fasting models should be cautious. [63]
  • The obesity trial excluded participants with liver or kidney dysfunction, cardiovascular disease, malignant tumors, pregnancy, or breastfeeding. [15]
  • No mice met exclusion criteria, no animals died spontaneously, and no early euthanasia was required before the planned endpoint. [18]
  • Fasting interventions are not recommended in underweight populations according to current clinical nutrition guidelines. [9]
  • For patients over 65 years old, a BMI below 20 kg/m2 might be a risk in fasting interventions. [9]
  • Preliminary safety data support further exploration of combining empagliflozin with time-restricted feeding, but additive or synergistic effects remain unestablished. [8]
  • Patient-reported adverse events and provider-reported adverse events are listed as outcomes to be measured. [58]
  • Fasting-based interventions were generally feasible in the included studies, with high adherence in several fasting-mimicking diet studies. [32]
  • There are limitations associated with IF in cancer therapy. [33]
  • The evidence base is mostly moderate strength and larger randomized studies are needed. [32]
  • Fasting can transiently reduce circulating leukocytes before regeneration during refeeding. [33]
  • Fasting and fasting-mimicking diets are described as safe and feasible in cancer patients. [47]
  • Fasting may protect normal cells from treatment-induced damage while cancer cells remain vulnerable under fasting conditions. [47]
  • Cancer cells with constitutive NRF2 hyperactivation may be protected from oxidative damage and contribute to resistance to platinum-based chemotherapy and other oxidative anticancer agents. [47]
  • Intermittent fasting is among lifestyle factors that can help increase mitochondrial quality. [94]
  • Intermittent fasting can be associated with a worse clinical course in some patients. [36]
  • Prolonged fasting lasting several weeks or months may not be advisable for cancer patients because it can lead to unintended weight loss. [49]
  • There are very few studies demonstrating the safety and feasibility of intermittent fasting in patients undergoing chemotherapy, and randomized trial data are lacking. [50]
  • Compliance with fasting-mimicking diet cycles was low in one randomized breast cancer trial, with only 20% of patients completing all cycles. [50]
  • The role and benefits of medical nutrition therapy and ketogenic diet throughout the cancer continuum remain unclear, which limits certainty about safety and benefit across settings. [77]
  • TRE was described as safe in the reviewed literature, but long-term adherence and sustainability remain unresolved. [42]
  • Challenges for KD and FMD include patient adherence, nutritional deficiencies, and the need for individualized dietary planning. [43]
  • Fasting in people with thyroid dysfunction taking levothyroxine was associated with lower fT4 and fT3 and higher TSH in the studies summarized. [78]
  • Fasting has been associated with increased cortisol and other stress hormones in several human studies. [78]
  • Elevated β-hydroxybutyrate levels and cardiac fibrosis markers were described in patients with atrial fibrillation in the cited study. [91]
  • Some studies found no major changes in mitochondrial ROS generation and coupling efficiency with a high-fat diet in young rats, which the review contrasts with other studies reporting increased ROS generation. [91]
  • Fasting may carry risk in malnourished, cachectic, or frail patients because prolonged caloric restriction may worsen sarcopenia and impair immune function. [53]
  • Patients with severe hepatic dysfunction, uncontrolled diabetes, or cancer-related cachexia require strict supervision during fasting because of possible metabolic instability, hypoglycemia, and ketoacidosis. [53]
  • Fasting is contraindicated during pregnancy and is also unsuitable for people with a history of eating disorders or a body mass index below 18.5. [53]
  • Intermittent fasting with cisplatin plus metformin was reported as well tolerated, with body weight loss up to 19% that recovered after feeding. [13]
  • Adding intermittent fasting did not affect renal or hepatic toxicity indicators for cisplatin plus metformin. [13]
  • A fasting-related drop in glycemia reversed when food was reintroduced. [13]
  • In the rat time-restricted feeding study, the authors reported improved liver function tests and no major structural injury in the liver or kidney sections examined. [80]
  • The sarcoma caloric-restriction study reported attenuation of doxorubicin-related hematological alterations and reduced peripheral blood DNA damage markers. [86]
  • Caloric restriction effects were preserved in immunodeficient mice, suggesting the survival difference was not due to T- or B-cell or natural killer-cell clearance. [24]
  • Sources describe free 2′3′-cGAMP as having minimal effects on p-STING and p-IRF3 expression in dendritic cells. [22]
  • 2′3′-cGAMP stability diminishes in the presence of pyrophosphatase and phosphodiesterase and its hydrophilic, negatively charged nature limits membrane penetration. [22]
  • Adherence to time-restricted eating was described as excellent in self-report studies, while adherence to the 5:2 regimen was lower than TRE. [21]
  • Cyclic FMD was associated with positive metabolic and immunomodulatory effects in phase 1/2 clinical trials. [60]
  • Intermittent serum starvation may also prime cancer cells for better survival in some experiments. [87]
  • The authors became more cautious about fasting during active chemotherapy because ISS with cisplatin increased transcription of pro-survival pathways and lowered enrichment of the p53-mediated cell death pathway. [87]
  • The current data do not support β-hydroxybutyrate as an early indicator for pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma. [81]
  • FMD-induced metabolic changes were observed in healthy volunteers but not in a cohort of advanced breast cancer patients treated with standard chemotherapy without FMD. [65]
  • The preoperative colorectal surgery cohort reported no VLCD-related adverse events during the intervention. [23]
Show 7 lab & early-research findings
  • Re-introduction of fasting-reduced factors such as IGF1, insulin, and leptin reduced the beneficial effects of fasting on tumor growth in mice and prevented the fasting-associated rise in corticosterone and progesterone. [56]
  • Substantial glycemic fluctuations were reported when intermittent fasting was combined with metformin in mice. [11]
  • Included preclinical studies assessed adverse effects of conventional therapies, including impact on body weight. [57]
  • Many included preclinical studies had unclear risk of bias because of insufficient methodological detail, and blinding was high risk in about one-third of studies. [57]
  • Caloric restriction protocols in animal cancer studies can affect animal health if implemented inconsistently. [67]
  • Sources describe preclinical and clinical studies indicating that fasting-related dietary strategies may reduce side effects associated with conventional treatments and may enhance chemotherapy efficacy. [43]
  • Long-term exposure to elevated β-hydroxybutyrate in one model led to impaired mitochondrial biogenesis, fibrosis, and increased cardiomyocyte apoptosis. [91]
What we don't know yetEvidence on fasting and fasting-mimicking diets in cancer remains limited, heterogeneous, and often based on early-phase, preclinical, or small studies. Many reviews call for larger, better standardized prospective trials before clinical conclusions can be drawn.28 points
  • More research is needed on dietary strategies across cancer types and settings, including ketogenic diet use for glioma prevention and post-treatment, fasting-related regimens in ovarian cancer, intermittent fasting in hereditary cancer syndromes, and ketogenic approaches in pancreatic cancer. [77][50][70][49][12][81]6 sources
  • Larger randomized controlled trials and more uniformly controlled clinical trials are needed to validate intermittent fasting, fasting-mimicking diets, and other dietary regimes in cancer settings. [2][41][60][51][53]5 sources
  • Sources describe fasting-mimicking diet evidence as preliminary, with larger studies needed to confirm effects in disease settings; one small single-arm pilot in advanced NSCLC reported safety and feasibility only. [44][45][74][4]4 sources
  • Sources describe dietary patterns, microbiota, and immune checkpoint inhibitor response as active areas of study, with proposed nutrition approaches under investigation and some findings from human and mouse studies. [72][79][63]3 sources
  • The clinical relevance of fasting-related findings remains uncertain because fasting protocols and optimal biomarkers are still being defined, and important gaps remain in understanding how dietary interventions affect mitochondrial physiology under pathological conditions. [67][70][91]3 sources
  • Evidence for intermittent fasting in cancer management is described as limited and inconsistent, while a separate review reports that preliminary time-restricted eating studies in people with cancer suggest feasibility and possible benefits. [54][55]
  • Further clinical trials are needed to clarify the role of fasting or caloric restriction during radiotherapy, including in prostate cancer-related contexts. [85][28]
  • Further validation of nutritional interventions identified in cancer survivors, including fasting-mimicking diet, is needed, and precision dietary approaches in breast cancer are described as being at an early stage of clinical translation. [3][48]
  • Whether fasting regimens predispose to cachexia or worsen malnutrition, and whether dietary interventions can attenuate or reverse adverse body-composition changes during androgen deprivation therapy, remains unclear. [29][26]
  • The DIRECT trial was stopped before the planned phase III study because the overall pathological complete response rate was lower than expected and compliance was worse than expected. [44][65]
  • Evidence from obesity and survivorship studies is limited by study design, sample size, and incomplete reporting of some results. [15][59]
  • TRE's role in cancer prevention remains hypothetical, and long-term adherence and sustainability remain key research priorities. [34][42]
  • More research is needed to match fasting-based dietary strategies to tumor subtype, treatment context, and host biology, and to determine whether dietary interventions should be differentiated by tumor type and treatment. [48][43]
  • Clinical benefits of intermittent fasting in critically ill patients remain inconclusive, and fasting-specific outcome data in neuroendocrine neoplasms remain a knowledge gap. [36][95]
  • Sources describe dietary and microbiome approaches in immune checkpoint inhibitor therapy as areas under study that need more human research, and they state that clinical integration of intermittent fasting requires better monitoring tools and larger standardized trials to assess efficacy, safety, and feasibility. [79][53]
  • Reviews describe fasting and fasting-mimicking diet evidence as heterogeneous and limited by small study sizes, and a review of long-term randomized dietary interventions notes that adherence findings were discussed when reported. [47][61]
  • The antitumor activity and efficacy of cyclic FMD in TNBC patients remain unclear, and larger clinical trials are needed to study early-stage TNBC and validate early intratumor glycolysis changes as a predictor of clinical benefit. [64]
  • Evidence on gut microbiota changes during Ramadan fasting, and the clinical significance of reported gene-expression changes, remains to be established. [63]
  • There is still considerable debate about whether fasting-related findings are driven mainly by caloric restriction or by fasting-specific features. [35]
  • Standardization of food-based approaches can be a challenge, and few data address dietary regimens combined with pharmacologic treatment in resistant ovarian tumors. [13]
  • Prospective human studies on time-restricted feeding protocols are limited, and no studies had directly explored nighttime fasting duration and cardiovascular disease risk at the time of publication. [80]
  • The effects of intermittent fasting on factors relevant to colon tumorigenesis in humans are still emerging, and summarized TRE studies did not examine microbially produced or microbially regulated metabolites in stool or blood. [21]
  • The 5:2 studies used different metabolic panels and often produced contradictory results. [21]
  • The connection between β-hydroxybutyrate levels and different stages of pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma remains uncertain. [81]
  • The PFMD review proposes that a periodic fasting-mimicking diet could fully replace water-only or very-low-energy fasting regimens. [76]
  • The cited sources report uncertainty about chemotherapy toxicity and mixed findings across inflammatory markers, while one cancer meta-analysis found reductions in body weight, blood glucose, and insulin with intermittent fasting. [1][73][82]3 sources
  • Review and preclinical sources state that few studies had investigated fasting-mimicking diet effects on tumor-associated macrophages, and mechanistic studies continue to examine how nutrient restriction may enhance anticancer therapies. [14][16]
  • Preclinical evidence in this review was limited to mouse or rat studies, and the scoping review describes oncology evidence as heterogeneous and largely based on small or moderate-strength studies, covering outcomes such as toxicities, fatigue, metabolic and hematologic parameters, adherence, and quality of life. [57][32]

Common questions

What does the research say about overview for Fasting & fasting-mimicking?

Fasting and fasting-mimicking approaches in cancer are described as dietary patterns studied across prevention, treatment, and survivorship settings, but the evidence base is limited, heterogeneous, and often preclinical or early clinical. Intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, and fasting-mimicking diets are the most commonly discussed variants, with breast cancer appearing most often in the clinical literature.

What does the research say about what studies report for Fasting & fasting-mimicking?

Studies of fasting and fasting-mimicking diets in cancer report mixed findings across preclinical and clinical settings, including changes in inflammatory markers, metabolic measures, treatment tolerance, and some tumor-response outcomes. Many reviews describe the evidence as early, heterogeneous, or limited, with several ongoing trials and unresolved questions about clinical benefit.

What does the research say about proposed mechanisms for Fasting & fasting-mimicking?

Fasting and fasting-mimicking diets are described as shifting metabolism away from glucose toward fatty-acid oxidation and ketone use, while also affecting insulin/IGF-1 signaling, autophagy, inflammation, oxidative stress, and immune pathways. Several sources also describe proposed effects on tumor cell stress responses, gene expression, and the tumor microenvironment.

What does the research say about practical considerations for Fasting & fasting-mimicking?

Fasting and fasting-mimicking approaches in oncology are described in a range of schedules, from time-restricted eating and intermittent fasting to multi-day fasting-mimicking diets and short fasting windows around treatment. Practical use is often framed by feasibility, adherence, patient selection, and monitoring needs.

What does the research say about safety & interactions for Fasting & fasting-mimicking?

Evidence on fasting and fasting-mimicking diets in cancer care is mixed, with many reviews describing feasibility or safety in selected studies but also noting limited data, adherence challenges, and unresolved long-term safety. Several sources also caution that fasting can be problematic in malnourished, frail, or otherwise high-risk patients and may interact with treatment-related toxicity or metabolic status.

What does the research say about what we don't know yet for Fasting & fasting-mimicking?

Evidence on fasting and fasting-mimicking diets in cancer remains limited, heterogeneous, and often based on early-phase, preclinical, or small studies. Many reviews call for larger, better standardized prospective trials before clinical conclusions can be drawn.

Sources

Every statement above is drawn from these reviewed sources. This page reports what they describe. Sources last checked June 9, 2026.

  1. Meta-analysisThe effects of intermittent fasting on anthropometric indices, glycemic profile, chemotherapy-related toxicity, and subjective perception in gynecological and breast cancer patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis · 2025
  2. Systematic reviewImpact of intermittent fasting on patients with cancer undergoing chemotherapy and/or targeted therapies: a systematic review of the literature · 2025
  3. Systematic reviewEffects of nutritional interventions on cognitive function in adult cancer survivors: A systematic review · 2024
  4. Review articleBrief Report: A Pilot Study Evaluating the Feasibility, Safety, and Compliance With a Fasting-Mimicking Diet in Patients With Metastatic Non-Small Cell Lung Cancer · 2026
  5. Review articleStarvation of leukemic cells enhances DNA damage-induced apoptosis in vitro via ROS/p38 MAPK and prevents leukemia progression in fasting xenograft mice · 2026
  6. Review articleIntermittent fasting inhibits Tp53-driven glioma through gut microbiota-mediated methionine-m(6)A regulation · 2026
  7. Review articleExploring biologically-based complementary and alternative medicine use among Irish cancer survivors: findings from a national survey · 2026
  8. Review articleEmpagliflozin and intermittent fasting as a strategy to mitigate anthracycline-induced cardiotoxicity · 2026
  9. Clinical trialTherapeutic Fasting as a Novel Approach to Mitigate Musculoskeletal Symptoms in Breast Cancer Patients undergoing Aromatase Inhibitor Therapy: A Feasibility Study Protocol · 2026
  10. Review articlePhotosynthetic Nanobacteria Drive Metabolic-Immune Synergy for Hypoxia-Resistant Cancer Therapy · 2026
  11. Review articleDisulfidptosis induced by intermittent fasting and metformin enhances the efficacy of anti-PD-1 therapy in renal cancer · 2026
  12. Review articleThe Role of Mediterranean Diet and Intermittent Fasting in Modulating Inflammation and Clinical Biochemistry Markers in Hereditary Cancer Syndromes: A Review · 2025
  13. Review articleIntermittent fasting enhances cisplatin-metformin efficacy in therapy-resistant ovarian cancer PDXs · 2025
  14. Review articleFasting-mimicking diet induces IFNβ secretion in tumor-associated macrophages via NRF1-mediated ubiquitin-dependent proteolysis of Trex1 · 2026
  15. Review articleEffects of a modified 5:2 intermittent fasting diet on a population who were overweight or obese in China: a self-controlled clinical trial · 2026
  16. Review articleNutrient Restriction Improves the Therapeutic Efficacy of Sorafenib by Inducing Ferroptosis via the NRF2/HO-1/GPX4 Pathway in Hepatocellular Carcinoma · 2026
  17. Review articleMetabolic reprogramming in diabetes and other endocrine and metabolic disorders: exploring the Warburg effect, ketones, and SGLT2 inhibitors · 2026
  18. Review articleIntermittent fasting reduces glaucomatous damage in an HSP27 autoimmune mouse model · 2026
  19. Review articleIntermittent fasting protects MPTP-induced Parkinson's disease mouse model through regulating gut microbiota dysbiosis · 2026
  20. Review articleFasting-mimicking diet-enriched Bifidobacterium pseudolongum suppresses colorectal cancer by inducing memory CD8(+) T cells · 2025
  21. Review articleIntermittent Fasting: Implications for Obesity-Related Colorectal Tumorigenesis · 2025
  22. Review articlePersonalized Cancer Immunotherapy Boosted by cGAS-STING-Targeted Nanovaccines in Combination With Nutrient Modulation · 2025
  23. Review articleThe Efficacy and Safety of a Preoperative Dietitian-Led Very Low Calorie Diet Clinic for Adults With Obesity for Colorectal Cancer Surgery: A Retrospective Cohort Study · 2025
  24. Review articleCaloric restriction leads to druggable LSD1-dependent cancer stem cells expansion · 2024
  25. Systematic reviewIntermittent Fasting in Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review and Critical Update of Available Studies · 2023
  26. Meta-analysisDietary interventions to improve body composition in men treated with androgen deprivation therapy for prostate cancer: a solution for the growing problem? · 2022
  27. Systematic reviewThe Potential of Fasting and Caloric Restriction to Mitigate Radiation Damage-A Systematic Review · 2020
  28. Systematic reviewPerspective: Do Fasting, Caloric Restriction, and Diets Increase Sensitivity to Radiotherapy? A Literature Review · 2020
  29. Meta-analysisTherapeutic Fasting in Reducing Chemotherapy Side Effects in Cancer Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis · 2023
  30. Meta-analysisIntermittent Fasting Attenuates Obesity-Induced Triple-Negative Breast Cancer Progression by Disrupting Cell Cycle, Epithelial-Mesenchymal Transition, Immune Contexture, and Proinflammatory Signature · 2024
  31. Meta-analysisDietary restriction and hepatic cancer: Systematic review and meta-analysis of animal studies · 2024
  32. Review articleFasting-Based Dietary Interventions in Cancer Patients and Survivors: A Scoping Review · 2026
  33. Review articleIntermittent fasting enhances cancer therapy via autophagy-dependent and independent mechanisms: Evidence and implications · 2026
  34. Review articleDark side of nocturnal eating: Unraveling the emerging axis between meal timing, gut microbiota, and early-onset cancer risk · 2026
  35. Review articleUnraveling the Health Benefits and Mechanisms of Time-Restricted Feeding: Beyond Caloric Restriction · 2025
  36. Review articleA Biochemical View on Intermittent Fasting's Effects on Human Physiology-Not Always a Beneficial Strategy · 2025
  37. Review articleVitamin D3 ameliorates inflammation and autonomic dysfunction in a rat model of reflux esophagitis via modulation of IL-6 and TNF-α · 2025
  38. Review articleTake the reins: a study protocol of a randomized controlled trial testing the effects of time-restricted eating vs. nutrition control on cancer-related fatigue among survivors of hematological malignancies · 2025
  39. Review articleDietary Interventions and Physical Activity as Crucial Factors in the Prevention and Treatment of Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease · 2025
  40. Review articleThe Obesity-Epigenetics-Microbiome Axis: Strategies for Therapeutic Intervention · 2025
  41. Review articleHarnessing tumor metabolism during cancer treatment: A narrative review of emerging dietary approaches · 2025
  42. Review articleTime-Restricted Eating in Metabolic and Clinical Health: a Current Evidence and Mechanistic Insights · 2025
  43. Review articleImpact of ketogenic and fast-mimicking diet in gastrointestinal cancer treatment · 2025
  44. Randomized trialFasting mimicking diet as an adjunct to neoadjuvant chemotherapy for breast cancer in the multicentre randomized phase 2 DIRECT trial · 2020
  45. Randomized trialFasting-mimicking diet and markers/risk factors for aging, diabetes, cancer, and cardiovascular disease · 2017
  46. Systematic reviewHealth-and disease-related biomarkers in aging research · 2009
  47. Review articleFasting and Fasting-Mimicking Diets as Adjunctive Strategies in Cancer Therapy: Mechanisms, Evidence, and Clinical Implications · 2026
  48. Review articlePrecision nutrition in breast cancer: Towards patient- and tumour-informed dietary strategies · 2026
  49. Review articleLifestyle-Based Approaches to Cancer Prevention and Treatment: Diet, Physical Activity, and Integrative Strategies · 2025
  50. Review articleThe role of diet, obesity and body composition in epithelial ovarian cancer development and progression: Mechanisms and therapeutic implications · 2025
  51. Review articleIntermittent Fasting and Fasting-mimicking Diet: Promising Strategies in Cancer Management · 2025
  52. Review articleVitamins and dietary supplements in cancer treatment: is there a need for increased usage? · 2025
  53. Review articleMonitoring the Biological Impact and Therapeutic Potential of Intermittent Fasting in Oncology: Assessing Strategies and Clinical Translational Challenges · 2025
  54. GuidelineEuropean Association for the Study of Obesity (EASO) Position Statement on Medical Nutrition Therapy for the Management of Individuals with Overweight or Obesity and Cancer · 2025
  55. Systematic reviewThe Clinical Impact of Time-restricted Eating on Cancer: A Systematic Review · 2025
  56. Clinical trialFasting boosts breast cancer therapy efficacy via glucocorticoid activation · 2026
  57. Systematic reviewFasting-mimicking diets as a strategy to reprogram tumor metabolism: a systematic review · 2026
  58. Clinical trialThe CHRONO trial: Protocol for a randomized controlled trial of early time-restricted eating in patients with breast or rectal cancer · 2026
  59. Review articleRelationships between rest-activity rhythms, cancer-related fatigue, and quality of life: Results from a time-restricted eating randomized controlled trial · 2026
  60. Review articleCyclic fasting-mimicking diet in cancer treatment: Preclinical and clinical evidence · 2024
  61. Review articleLong-Term Randomized Controlled Trials of Diet Intervention Reports and Their Impact on Cancer: A Systematic Review · 2024
  62. Review articleLipid metabolic alterations in cancer: Common pathophysiology with cardiovascular disease · 2026
  63. Review articleIntermittent fasting and liver disease: Insights from the Ramadan model · 2026
  64. Clinical trialEarly downmodulation of tumor glycolysis predicts response to fasting-mimicking diet in triple-negative breast cancer patients · 2025
  65. Clinical trialFasting-Mimicking Diet Is Safe and Reshapes Metabolism and Antitumor Immunity in Patients with Cancer · 2022
  66. Clinical trialExceptional tumour responses to fasting-mimicking diet combined with standard anticancer therapies: A sub-analysis of the NCT03340935 trial · 2022
  67. Review articleStandardizing caloric restriction for preclinical cancer research · 2025
  68. Review articleFasting-mimicking diet remodels gut microbiota and suppresses colorectal cancer progression · 2024
  69. Review articleThe Role of Intermittent Fasting in the Activation of Autophagy Processes in the Context of Cancer Diseases · 2025
  70. Review articleA Narrative Review about Metabolic Pathways, Molecular Mechanisms and Clinical Implications of Intermittent Fasting as Autophagy Promotor · 2025
  71. Systematic reviewImpact of Diet Modifications on Body Weight, Body Composition, Treatment Outcomes, and Quality of Life During Primary Treatment for Breast Cancer: A Systematic Review · 2025
  72. Systematic reviewGut microbiome changes and cancer immunotherapy outcomes associated with dietary interventions: a systematic review of preclinical and clinical evidence · 2025
  73. Meta-analysisEffects of intermittent fasting diets on plasma concentrations of inflammatory biomarkers: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · 2020
  74. Randomized trialImpact of Achieved Weight Loss by Intermittent Fasting Plus Early Time-Restricted Eating and Calorie Restriction on Systemic and Adipose Tissue Markers of Inflammation in Adults at Risk of Type 2 Diabetes: An Exploratory Sub-Study · 2025
  75. Review articleObesity-focused dietary interventions in breast cancer care: A comprehensive review of medical nutrition therapy approaches and efficacy in prevention and treatment · 2026
  76. Review articleEffects of the periodic fasting-mimicking diet on health, lifespan, and multiple diseases: a narrative review and clinical implications · 2025
  77. Review articleCritical Review of Ketogenic Diet Throughout the Cancer Continuum for Neuroglioma: Insights from a Medical Nutrition Therapy (MNT) Perspective · 2025
  78. Review articleIntermittent Fasting and Hormonal Regulation: Pathways to Improved Metabolic Health · 2025
  79. Review articleNutritional strategies in supporting immune checkpoint inhibitor, PI3K inhibitor, and tyrosine kinase inhibitor cancer therapies · 2025
  80. Review articleThe effects of time-restricted feeding on early vascular, liver, and renal structural changes, oxidative stress, and inflammation in obese rats · 2025
  81. Review articleTherapeutic potential of β-hydroxybutyrate in the management of pancreatic neoplasms: exploring novel diagnostic and treatment strategies · 2024
  82. Meta-analysisThe Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Inflammatory Markers in Adults: A Systematic Review and Pairwise and Network Meta-Analyses · 2025
  83. Meta-analysisEffects of different exercise prescription parameters on metabolic and inflammatory biomarkers in cancer patients: a systematic review, meta-analysis, and meta-regression · 2025
  84. Meta-analysisEffects of intermittent fasting and caloric restriction on inflammatory biomarkers in individuals with obesity/overweight: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials · 2025
  85. Review articleIntermittent Fasting and Androgen Receptor Signaling in Prostate Cancer: Metabolic Crosstalk and Therapeutic Implications · 2026
  86. Review articleCaloric Restriction Enhances Chemotherapy Efficacy and Reshapes Stress Responses in Sarcoma · 2025
  87. Review articleTargeting carbohydrate metabolism in colorectal cancer - synergy between DNA-damaging agents, cannabinoids, and intermittent serum starvation · 2024
  88. Review articleThe Role of Mammalian Target of Rapamycin (mTOR) and Adenosine Monophosphate-Activated Protein Kinase (AMPK) Signaling in Skeletal Muscle Hypertrophy: A Literature Review With Implications for Health and Disease · 2025
  89. Review articleIntermittent fasting-induced autophagy normalization confers hepatic protection in metabolic dysfunction-associated fatty liver disease: Mechanistic insights and implications · 2026
  90. Review articleRestricting lipid accumulation in tumor-infiltrating neutrophils mediates caloric restriction-induced anti-cancer effects · 2026
  91. Review articleEffects of nutrients and diet on mitochondrial dysfunction: An opportunity for therapeutic approaches in human disease · 2025
  92. Review articleAutophagy in aging-related diseases and cancer: Principles, regulatory mechanisms and therapeutic potential · 2024
  93. Randomized trialPredawn Versus Preiftar Timing of Levothyroxine Administration During Ramadan Intermittent Fasting: A Multicenter Randomized Controlled Trial · 2026
  94. Review articleMedication targeting to subcellular organelles: Emphasizing mitochondria as a therapeutic marvel-Current situation and future prospects · 2025
  95. Review articleNutritional aspects in neuroendocrine neoplasms. bridging the gap between dietary interventions and cancer care strategies: a scoping review · 2025

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