Fasting, Physical Activity, and Art Therapy Improve Metabolic Syndrome and Inflammasomes: An Italian Residential Experience

Abstract

Background: Diet, physical activity, and general lifestyle modifications are implicated in metabolic pathway prevention and may improve some chronic diseases such as metabolic syndrome. The aim of this study is to measure the effectiveness of a short-time nutrition restriction regime combined with a daily practice of physical and creative activities on metabolic syndrome parameters, inflammasome status, and the compliance of the patients to the proposed scheme.

Methods: This pilot study analyzed 95 volunteers who took part in a residential one-week lasting experimental lifestyle period. The program proposed was structured in a four-day detox nutrition based only on vegetable products derived from organic, biologic, synergic, and integrated farming, without animal proteins, fats, and simple sugars. These four days were followed by a three-day fasting or fasting-mimicking diet, consisting of one or two hypocaloric meals based on complex sugars, vegetables, oleaginous seeds, and only in some cases vegetable proteins. Finally, a three-day "weaning" period was administered. During the whole period, 95 participants were offered a daily postural physical activity and a creative activity program. The basal data of the participants were collected (T₀). A medical evaluation was conducted to collect the personal and anthropometric data. During this basal evaluation (T₀), height, waist circumference, waist-to-height ratio (WtHR), glycemic value, and blood pressure were collected and reevaluated at the end of the 10-day experience (T₁).

Results: The data were evaluated according to the three metabolic syndrome parameters (i.e., WtHR, glycemic value, and blood pressure). A significant improvement in the variables analyzed at the end of the program was observed.

Conclusion: This study revealed that a short integrated lifestyle program can influence some well-defined metabolic parameters and might decrease damage from metabolic syndrome.

Keywords: Caloric restriction; Creativity; Diet; Exercise; Inflammasomes; Metabolic syndrome; Plant-based; Preventive medicine.