Daily Caloric Restriction and Intermittent Fasting Trial (DRIFT2) Microbiome

The interplay between epigenetics and gut microbiota (MB) has been poorly studied in any disease context, and both may play important - and potentially causal - roles in obesity and related conditions, including cardiovascular disease (CVD). It is essential to increase our understanding of the individual and composite effects of epigenetics and MB on obesity and weight loss. The primary objective of this study is to investigate epigenetic and MB profiles in a healthy obese population undergoing a weight loss intervention of daily caloric restriction (DCR) or intermittent fasting (IMF). IMF is a promising approach to weight loss and emerging research suggests IMF may be more effective than DCR at reducing and maintaining body weight due to beneficial impacts on hormones related to satiety and improved energy expenditure. Blood and stool samples will be collected at baseline and 3 months from 60 subjects enrolled in a behavioral weight loss trial comparing DCR to IMF. Our primary hypothesis is that changes in epigenetic and MB profiles in response to DCR and IMF will be differentially associated with weight loss and markers of CVD. This study will examine the interplay between epigenetics and MB in the context of comparing a traditional weight loss approach of DCR to IMF, which is less studied and may offer promise for enhanced weight loss maintenance and cardiovascular health benefits.