Machine learning identifies microbiome and clinical predictors of sustained weight loss following prolonged fasting.

A 5-day fasting intervention in healthy adults leads to significant short-term weight loss, with partial persistence at 12 weeks, and causes notable shifts in gut microbiome and metabolite profiles.

• Why it matters: Understanding how prolonged fasting affects metabolic health and identifying predictors of sustained weight loss can improve personalized treatment strategies and optimize fasting protocols.
• What they did: The study involved 38 healthy adults in a randomized trial, assessing body composition, microbiome, and metabolite changes over 12 weeks, and used machine learning to predict long-term weight response based on baseline data.
• The result: A model combining baseline microbiome and clinical variables predicted 12-week BMI response across three independent cohorts, highlighting specific microbial species and clinical factors as key predictors.