Table 1.
Baseline characteristics
| Combination | Alternate day fasting | Exercise | Control | All participants | Completers | Dropouts | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| n | 20 | 20 | 20 | 20 | 80 | 74 | 6 |
| Age (y) | 44 ± 13 | 44 ± 16 | 44 ± 13 | 44 ± 12 | 44 ± 13 | 44 ± 13 | 39 ± 15 |
| Sex | |||||||
| Female | 17 (85%) | 16 (80%) | 16 (80%) | 16 (80%) | 65 (81%) | 61 (82%) | 4 (67%) |
| Male | 3 (15%) | 4 (20%) | 4 (20%) | 4 (20%) | 15 (19%) | 13 (18%) | 2 (33%) |
| Race or ethnic group | |||||||
| Black | 7 (35%) | 7 (35%) | 6 (30%) | 4 (20%) | 24 (30%) | 23 (31%) | 1 (17%) |
| Hispanic | 10 (50%) | 8 (40%) | 10 (50%) | 12 (60%) | 40 (50%) | 35 (47%) | 5 (83%) |
| White | 2 (10%) | 2 (10%) | 4 (20%) | 1 (5%) | 9 (11%) | 9 (12%) | 0 (0%) |
| Asian | 1 (5%) | 3 (15%) | 0 (0%) | 3 (15%) | 7 (9%) | 7 (9%) | 0 (0%) |
| Liver parameters | |||||||
| IHTG (%) | 18 ± 8 | 16 ± 6 | 17 ± 6 | 17 ± 9 | 17 ± 8 | 17 ± 8 | 15 ± 6 |
| ALT (U/L) | 28 ± 15 | 31 ± 33 | 24 ± 18 | 22 ± 8 | 26 ± 20 | 26 ± 20 | 32 ± 32 |
| AST (U/L) | 23 ± 8 | 23 ± 15 | 21 ± 12 | 18 ± 5 | 21 ± 11 | 21 ± 10 | 25 ± 21 |
| Fibrosis (FIB-4) | 0.91 ± 0.36 | 0.93 ± 0.57 | 0.86 ± 0.35 | 0.76 ± 0.22 | 0.87 ± 0.39 | 0.87 ± 0.40 | 0.78 ± 0.32 |
| Body composition | |||||||
| Body weight (kg) | 101 ± 20 | 96 ± 21 | 100 ± 21 | 100 ± 17 | 99 ± 19 | 98 ± 19 | 111 ± 26 |
| Fat mass (kg) | 46 ± 12 | 40 ± 8 | 45 ± 13 | 45 ± 11 | 44 ± 11 | 44 ± 11 | 49 ± 13 |
| Lean mass (kg) | 51 ± 12 | 51 ± 9 | 52 ± 9 | 51 ± 10 | 51 ± 10 | 51 ± 10 | 57 ± 13 |
| Visceral fat mass (kg) | 1.6 ± 0.8 | 1.6 ± 0.8 | 1.7 ± 0.8 | 1.7 ± 0.8 | 1.6 ± 0.8 | 1.6 ± 0.8 | 1.7 ± 1.2 |
| Waist circumference (cm) | 111 ± 13 | 107 ± 17 | 111 ± 14 | 109 ± 12 | 109 ± 14 | 109 ± 14 | 114 ± 18 |
| Height (cm) | 166 ± 9 | 164 ± 9 | 165 ± 8 | 165 ± 8 | 165 ± 8 | 165 ± 8 | 165 ± 10 |
| BMI (kg/m2) | 37 ± 5 | 36 ± 8 | 37 ± 6 | 37 ± 5 | 36 ± 6 | 36 ± 6 | 41 ± 7 |
| Glucoregulatory factors | |||||||
| Fasting insulin (μIU/mL) | 31 ± 35 | 17 ± 10 | 26 ± 25 | 19 ± 15 | 23 ± 24 | 23 ± 25 | 21 ± 11 |
| Insulin resistance (HOMA-IR) | 7.1 ± 7.3 | 3.8 ± 2.3 | 5.8 ± 5.3 | 4.5 ± 3.8 | 5.3 ± 5.1 | 5.3 ± 5.2 | 5.0 ± 3.3 |
| Insulin sensitivity (QUICKI) | 0.29 ± 0.03 | 0.31 ± 0.03 | 0.30 ± 0.04 | 0.31 ± 0.03 | 0.30 ± 0.03 | 0.30 ± 0.03 | 0.31 ± 0.03 |
| Fasting glucose (mg/dl) | 94 ± 12 | 90 ± 15 | 91 ± 14 | 98 ± 38 | 93 ± 22 | 93 ± 23 | 97 ± 14 |
| HbA1c (%) | 5.7 ± 0.5 | 5.8 ± 0.5 | 5.6 ± 1.0 | 5.9 ± 0.4 | 5.8 ± 0.9 | 5.7 ± 0.8 | 6.1 ± 1.7 |
| Blood pressure, heart rate | |||||||
| Systolic BP (mm Hg) | 127 ± 18 | 126 ± 16 | 130 ± 17 | 126 ± 22 | 127 ± 18 | 127 ± 18 | 131 ± 20 |
| Diastolic BP (mm Hg) | 87 ± 9 | 87 ± 10 | 85 ± 10 | 84 ± 9 | 86 ± 9 | 86 ± 9 | 86 ± 9 |
| Heart rate (bpm) | 75 ± 13 | 78 ± 18 | 74 ± 14 | 75 ± 8 | 76 ± 13 | 76 ± 13 | 74 ± 18 |
| Plasma lipids | |||||||
| Total cholesterol (mg/dl) | 192 ± 29 | 175 ± 34 | 168 ± 47 | 186 ± 37 | 180 ± 38 | 182 ± 37 | 159 ± 45 |
| LDL cholesterol (mg/dl) | 116 ± 24 | 97 ± 29 | 87 ± 40 | 108 ± 35 | 102 ± 34 | 103 ± 33 | 90 ± 43 |
| HDL cholesterol (mg/dl) | 53 ± 13 | 50 ± 13 | 55 ± 18 | 51 ± 13 | 52 ± 14 | 53 ± 15 | 45 ± 7 |
| Triglycerides (mg/dl) | 116 ± 37 | 141 ± 72 | 129 ± 63 | 109 ± 40 | 124 ± 55 | 124 ± 56 | 117 ± 41 |
| Hepatokines | |||||||
| Fetuin-A (ng/ml) | 285 ± 602 | 310 ± 323 | 279 ± 362 | 370 ± 624 | 309 ± 480 | 316 ± 499 | 233 ± 93 |
| FGF-21 (ng/ml) | 0.55 ± 0.74 | 0.82 ± 1.23 | 1.36 ± 1.59 | 0.58 ± 1.04 | 0.83 ± 1.21 | 0.83 ± 1.17 | 0.88 ± 1.79 |
| Selenoprotein P (ng/ml) | 1175 ± 129 | 1168 ± 124 | 1203 ± 123 | 1191 ± 384 | 1184 ± 211 | 1184 ± 219 | 1177 ± 44 |
Data are expressed as mean (SD) unless otherwise indicated. Abbreviations: ALT: alanine transaminase; AST: aspartate transaminase; BP: Blood pressure; FGF-21: Fibroblast growth factor-21, FIB-4: Fibrosis-4, IHTG: Intrahepatic triglyceride content; HbA1c: Glycated hemoglobin; HDL, high-density lipoprotein; HOMA, homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance; LDL, low-density lipoprotein; QUICKI: Quantitative insulin sensitivity check index.