Intermittent Fasting and Exercise: Effects on Gut Microbiota, Body Composition and Inflammation.
Condition: Composition and Function of the Gut Microbiota Post Intervention; Metabolic and Inflammatory Variables Post Intervention
Study type: Interventional

Summary: 
      Obesity and overweight affect around 2 billion people worldwide. Despite the growing
      prevalence, the treatment of obesity is still an obscure field and the impacts of this
      disease on the clinical and public health perspective are urgent. Studies have demonstrated a
      fundamental role of the gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of obesity and discuss the impacts
      of diet and physical exercise on the microbiome profile. However, the mechanisms involved in
      these processes, referring to strategies such as intermittent fasting associated with
      physical training, are still poorly explored and understood. It is believed that intermittent
      fasting combined with physical exercise can promote a remodeling of the composition and
      function of the microbiota and that the present investigation is promising in the prevention
      and treatment of obesity.
    

Detailed description: 
      Background: Obesity and overweight affect about 2 billion people worldwide. Despite the
      growing prevalence, the treatment of obesity is still an obscure field and the impacts of
      this disease on the clinical and public health perspective are urgent. Studies have
      demonstrated a fundamental role of the gut microbiota in the pathogenesis of obesity and
      discuss the impacts of diet and physical exercise on the microbiome profile. However, the
      mechanisms involved in these processes, referring to strategies such as intermittent fasting
      associated with physical training, are still poorly explored and understood. It is believed
      that intermittent fasting combined with physical exercise can promote a remodeling of the
      composition and function of the microbiota and that the present investigation is promising in
      the prevention and treatment of obesity. Methods: 60 obese women will participate in the
      study and will be randomly divided into 3 groups: 1) the intermittent fasting group,
      submitted to a diet for 8 weeks (n= 20); 2) the physical exercise group, submitted to
      physical training for 8 weeks (n= 20); and 3) intermittent fasting group associated with
      physical exercise, submitted to both interventions for 8 weeks (n= 20). All volunteers will
      perform collections and evaluations (pre and post intervention) of anthropometry, food
      consumption, indirect calorimetry to assess resting energy expenditure, body composition by
      BodPod®, blood collection for biochemical analysis and gene expression, collection of feces
      for the analysis of the intestinal microbiota and physical tests (Shuttle Walking Test,
      multiple repetition test and functional strength) for the exercise groups. Expected results:
      The synergistic effects of the proposed intervention are expected to improve gut microbiota
      and metabolic parameters in obese women.
    

Intervention name(s): Intervention with intermittent fasting.; Intervention with high-intensity interval training.
Intervention type(s): Other; Other
Intervention description(s): Intervention with fasting protocol of alternate days 2 days a week and the other days with ad libitum consumption. Restricted food in 25% of the total daily needs on the days of the intermittent fasting protocol, with 18 hours of fasting and 6 hours of restricted feeding (18:6).; Intervention with high-intensity interval training, 3x per week, with intensity maintained between 70-85% of maximum heart rate.
Other intervention name(s): IF; HIIT
Allocation: Randomized
Intervention model: Parallel Assignment
Intervention model description: Randomized clinical trial.
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary purpose: Treatment
Keywords: Obesity; Gut microbiota; Intermittent fasting; High-intensity interval training; Metataxononic; Body composition