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Review
. 2021 Dec 16:12:768383.
doi: 10.3389/fphys.2021.768383. eCollection 2021.

Impact of Dietary Restriction Regimens on Mitochondria, Heart, and Endothelial Function: A Brief Overview

Affiliations
Review

Impact of Dietary Restriction Regimens on Mitochondria, Heart, and Endothelial Function: A Brief Overview

Cristina Elena Savencu et al. Front Physiol. .

Abstract

Caloric restriction (CR) and intermittent fasting (IF) are strategies aimed to promote health beneficial effects by interfering with several mechanisms responsible for cardiovascular diseases. Both dietary approaches decrease body weight, insulin resistance, blood pressure, lipids, and inflammatory status. All these favorable effects are the result of several metabolic adjustments, which have been addressed in this review, i.e., the improvement of mitochondrial biogenesis, the reduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and the improvement of cardiac and vascular function. CR and IF are able to modulate mitochondrial function via interference with dynamics (i.e., fusion and fission), respiration, and related oxidative stress. In the cardiovascular system, both dietary interventions are able to improve endothelium-dependent relaxation, reduce cardiac hypertrophy, and activate antiapoptotic signaling cascades. Further clinical studies are required to assess the long-term safety in the clinical setting.

Keywords: caloric restriction; cardiovascular disease; endothelial dysfunction; intermittent fasting; mitochondrial function.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare that the research was conducted in the absence of any commercial or financial relationships that could be construed as a potential conflict of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Main beneficial effects of caloric restriction (CR) and intermittent fasting (IF) dietary interventions on mitochondria, reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, and cardiovascular parameters.

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