Avaliação do trânsito gastrintestinal em ratos submetidos ao jejum em dias alternados

Abstract

Intermittent fasting (IF) is a method of nutritional intent in which individuals are subjected to periods of fasting, performed as a strategy for weight loss and metabolic health. Among its aspects is alternate day fasting (ADF), which consists of periods of 24 hours with food at will and 24 hours with food restriction. The effects of fasts on the cardiovascular system and metabolism have been evaluated, however studies on their influence on the gastrointestinal tract are quite scarce. Thus, the objective of this work was to evaluate thegastrointestinal transit of Wistar rats submitted to the ADF. 16 rats were usedmales, divided into: a) Control group (n = 8) and b) rats submitted to ADF (n = 8) for 30 days. Initial and final body weight, water and food consumption, gastrointestinal transit and adiposity index were measured. To assess gastrointestinal transit, the rats ingested a food with a magnetic marker, which made it possible to obtain signals through Alternating Current Biosusceptometry (BAC). The signals obtained in the study were analyzed, the statistical moments were calculated and the following parameters were quantified: mean gastric emptying time (MGET); mean cecum arrival time (MCAT) and mean small intestine transit time (MSITT). The data were analyzed by Student's t-test or Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) followed by Tukey's post-test, and expressed as mean ± standard deviation (SD) with a limit of statistical significance of p <0.05. The results of the study showed that rats submitted to ADF showed a deficit in weight gain compared to rats in the control group (-20.0 ± 11.5 g vs. 24.0 ± 8.6 g). The animals in the ADF group showed higher food consumption in periods without restriction, compared to the control group (48.7 ± 5.0 g vs 28.1 ± 1.9 g). Water consumption was higher on the day of feeding compared to the control group (72.5 ± 11.6 mL vs 43.0 ± 5.5 mL) and lower on the fasting day in the ADF group. Regarding gastrointestinal transit parameters, the rats in the group under ADF had an accelerated MGET (110.3 ± 6.1 min and 127.3 ± 7.3 min), and an MCAT (253.4 ± 7.9 min and 239.3 ± 4.2 min) and Slow MSITT (145.4 ± 10.7 min and 111.9 ± 8.0 min). Thus, the JDA for 30 days decreased the body weight gain, altered the feeding behavior and gastrointestinal transit of rats. Thus, it reinforces the importance of gastrointestinal motility in dietary aspects and the need for further studies with different protocols and experimental models.