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Based on animal experiments and limited data from the few human trials, alternate-day fasting (ADF) resulted in weight loss, prolonged life, reduced metabolic risk factors for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases, and reduced prevalence of age-related diseases. The present study is the first comprehensive examination of the long-term effects of ADF on general cardiovascular fitness in rats.

Four-month-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were started on ADF or continued on ad libitum diets and followed for 6 months with serial echocardiography. A comprehensive hemodynamic evaluation including a combined dobutamine–volume stress test was performed at the end of the study, and hearts were harvested for histological assessment. The 6-month-long ADF diet resulted in a 9% reduction (P < .01) of cardiomyocyte diameter and 3-fold increase in interstitial myocardial …