Changes in haptoglobin genotype-based gene expressions upon the observance of dawn-to-dusk intermittent fasting: a prospective cohort study on overweight and obese individuals

Mohamed I Madkour; Rasha E Hassan; Naglaa M Sherif; Samir Awadallah; Nada M Farahat; Dana N Abdelrahim; Fatima A AlHasan; Jalal Taneera; MoezAlIslam E Faris

doi:10.3389/fnut.2024.1409344

Changes in haptoglobin genotype-based gene expressions upon the observance of dawn-to-dusk intermittent fasting: a prospective cohort study on overweight and obese individuals

Front Nutr. 2024 Oct 1:11:1409344. doi: 10.3389/fnut.2024.1409344. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Mohamed I Madkour^{1

2}, Rasha E Hassan³, Naglaa M Sherif³, Samir Awadallah⁴, Nada M Farahat², Dana N Abdelrahim², Fatima A AlHasan⁵, Jalal Taneera⁶, MoezAlIslam E Faris⁷

Affiliations

¹ Department of Medical Laboratory Sciences, College of Health Sciences, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
² Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences (RIMHS), Center of Excellence for Public Health, University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
³ Biochemistry Department, Faculty of Science, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt.
⁴ Department of Medical Laboratories, College of Allied Medical Sciences, Zarqa University, Zarqa, Jordan.
⁵ Department of Medical Laboratory Medicine, King Fahd Hospital, College of Applied Medical Sciences, Imam Abdulrahman Bin Faisal University, Dammam, Saudi Arabia.
⁶ College of Medicine, Center of Excellence for Precision Medicine, Research Institute of Medical and Health Sciences (RIMHS), University of Sharjah, Sharjah, United Arab Emirates.
⁷ Department of Clinical Nutrition and Dietetics, Faculty of Allied Medical Sciences, Applied Science Private University, Amman, Jordan.

Abstract

Introduction: Intermittent fasting (IF) has been reported to be involved in ameliorating oxidative stress and lessening the systemic-low grade inflammation that predisposes to chronic diseases. Gene polymorphism is currently a main determining factor for the metabolic responses to different dietary and lifestyle modifications.

Methods: The current study was designed to explore the effect of observing four-week, dawn to dusk IF by participants with obesity on gene expression of the anti-inflammatory CD163, oxidative stress, and bioenergetics enzymes (SOD2, Nrf2, and TFAM), as well as metabolic and cellular regulatory genes (SIRT1 and SIRT3). Further, the study aimed to find out how haptoglobin (Hp) polymorphism modulates gene expression of the aforementioned genes and to determine changes in relative gene expressions of the aforementioned six genes based on Hp polymorphism in response to IF. Haptoglobin genotype was determined for the study subjects, and gene expressions were determined using qPCR. Gene expressions were assessed before and at the end of four consecutive weeks, dawn to sunset IF.

Results: The expressions of CD163, SOD, NfF2, and TFAM genes have significantly increased at the end of IF. At the same time, SIRT3 significantly decreased, implying that observing four consecutive weeks of dawn-to-dusk IF may enhance antioxidative stress response and reduce systemic inflammation.

Conclusion: Participants with genotypes Hp2-1 and Hp2-2 revealed upregulation of the antioxidant genes in response to the metabolic stress induced by IF compared with Hp1-1, implying that Hp polymorphism plays a key role in shaping the body's response to dietary modifications such as fasting.

Keywords: Gene polymorphisim; calorie restriction; inflammation; nutritional genomics; oxidative stress; time-restricted eating.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. Vice-Chancellor of Research has supported this work and the Graduate Studies Office/The University of Sharjah, Grant No. CRG/R1061/2016.