Changes in human gut microbiome composition during ten days of fasting

When animals or humans switch from eating to fasting, the source of energy for their cells switches from food molecules absorbed through the gastrointestinal tract to the utilisation of energy substrates mobilised from several body tissues, primarily adipose tissue but also body protein. Although there is an increasing focus on fasting, the consequences of the reduction of the external nutrient supply to the human gut microbiota during prolonged periods of fasting is still unknown. We analysed the effects of a 10-day periodic fasting on the human gut microbiota in 15 healthy men. The composition of the gut microbiota was investigated by 16S rRNA gene amplicon sequencing