Table 1.
Baseline characteristics of subjects randomized to the intermittent fasting intervention or to the ad libitum control group
| Intermittent fasting, n = 50 | Ad libitum control, n = 53 | |
|---|---|---|
| Demographics | ||
| Age, years | 49.3 ± 12.0 | 47.0 ± 9.8 |
| Sex, male | 17 (34.0%) | 17 (32.1%) |
| Race (non-white) | 3 (6.0%) | 1 (1.9%) |
| Ethnicity | ||
| Hispanic/Latino | 3 (6.0%) | 5 (9.4%) |
| Not Hispanic/Latino | 47 (94.0%) | 47 (88.7%) |
| Unknown | 0 (0%) | 1 (1.9%) |
| Alcohol (drinks) | ||
| None | 26 (52.0%) | 21 (39.6%) |
| <1 per week | 2 (4.0%) | 6 (11.3%) |
| 1–7 per week | 1 (2.0%) | 5 (9.4%) |
| Declined to answer | 21 (42.0%) | 21 (39.6%) |
| Lipid profile | ||
| Total cholesterol (mg/dL) | 196.1 ± 25.4 | 201.8 ± 27.8 |
| LDL-C (mg/dL) | 123.9 ± 19.2 | 127.5 ± 19.5 |
| HDL-C (mg/dL) | 46.1 ± 10.2 | 47.0 ± 14.2 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dL) | 131.7 ± 76.6 | 137.8 ± 63.3 |
| Non-HDL-C (mg/dL) | 149.3 ± 24.9 | 154.9 ± 25.1 |
| Apolipoprotein B (mg/dL) | 81.6 ± 50.5 | 75.9 ± 45.0 |
| Comorbiditiesa | ||
| Autoimmune disease history | 5 (10.0%) | 9 (17.0%) |
| Depression history | 6 (12.0%) | 9 (17.0%) |
| Diabetes (type 2) | 0 (0%) | 2 (3.8%) |
| Pre-diabetes | 6 (12.0%) | 7 (13.2%) |
| Liver disease history | 0 (0%) | 1 (1.9%) |
| Neurological disease history | 1 (2.0%) | 1 (1.9%) |
| Parkinson’s disease | 2 (4.0%) | 0 (0%) |
| Physical examination and vital signs | ||
| Systolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 127.5 ± 12.2 | 127.7 ± 13.8 |
| Diastolic blood pressure (mmHg) | 82.1 ± 8.0 | 81.2 ± 10.4 |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 69.8 ± 9.1 | 70.6 ± 10.9 |
| Weight (kg) | 103.0 ± 24.2 | 99.7 ± 20.7 |
| Height (cm) | 171.5 ± 10.2 | 171.5 ± 9.9 |
| Body mass index (kg/m2) | 35.1 ± 8.2 | 34.0 ± 7.3 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 107 ± 20.2 | 106 ± 17.1 |
| Temperature (°C) | 36.7 ± 0.2 | 36.7 ± 0.2 |
| Other measurements | ||
| Fasting glucose (mg/dL) | 91.7 ± 14.4 | 90.2 ± 9.5 |
| BDNF (ng/mL) | 2.63 ± 1.66 | 2.66 ± 1.83 |
| HOMA-IR | 2.3 ± 1.2 | 2.8 ± 1.9 |
| Fasting insulin (mIU/L) | 11.5 ± 11.5 | 11.9 ± 7.0 |
| Metabolic syndrome score | 0.641 ± 3.54 | 0.379 ± 3.80 |
| MicroCog GCPi score | 96.3 ± 13.0 | 100.3 ± 11.7 |
| MicroCog GCFi score | 99.7 ± 11.7 | 101.8 ± 10.4 |
| eGFR (mL/min/1.73 m2) | 97.6 ± 9.0 | 98.9 ± 7.1 |
| Troponin I (ng/mL) | 0.011 ± 0.006 | 0.010 ± 0.000 |
| hsCRP (mg/L) | 4.1 ± 5.2 (median: 2.3) | 4.8 ± 5.2 (median: 2.8) |
BDNF, brain-derived neurotrophic factor; eGFR, estimated glomerular filtration rate; GCFi, general cognitive functioning index; GCPi, general cognitive proficiency index; HDL-C, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol; HOMA-IR, homeostatic model assessment of insulin resistance; hsCRP, high-sensitivity C-reaction protein; LDL-C, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol.
a
See the list of chronic disease exclusions in the Methods for other comorbidities not listed here.