The Meta-SHIFT Study: How Metabolic Shift Shapes Human Immunometabolism - a Fasting Trial

Recruiting now · Not applicable

Conditions studied: Fasting

In brief

During fasting, the body shifts from using carbohydrates to relying more on fat as its main source of energy. This process is known as the 'metabolic shift'. Fat tissue helps supply this energy by breaking down stored fat into fatty acids, which are released into the bloodstream and transported to organs throughout the body. In addition to fatty acids, many other substances in the blood (such as metabolites) change during fasting to help maintain normal body function. Immune cells also circulate in the blood and play an important role in protecting the body against infections and diseases such as cancer. However, it is not yet well understood how the metabolic shift during fasting affects immune cell function. The purpose of this study is to investigate how 24 hours of fasting influences immune cell metabolism and function.

Key facts

Study ID

NCT07527208

Run by

Cornell University

People needed

28

Starts

2026-06-01

Expected to finish

2026-12-01

Last updated by the study team

2026-05-07

Who can join

Age: 18 and older, up to 40. Sex: any. Healthy volunteers: accepted.

You may qualify if…

• Apparently healthy
• Age 18-40y at the time of recruitment
• BMI ≥ 18.5 and ≤ 24.9 kg/m2
• Willing to participate in all study activities during the 3-day intervention
• Signed informed consent

You may not qualify if…

• Diagnosed with any chronic medical condition that can interfere with the study outcome (e.g., cardiovascular disease, cancer, diabetes mellitus type 1 or 2, liver disease, pulmonary disease, renal disease, inflammatory bowel disease, thyroid disease, long COVID, PASC)
• Bleeding disorder (e.g., Hemophilia A/B, Von Willebrand Disease, or low platelets), current anemia or current use of blood thinners or anticoagulants (e.g. warfarin, heparin)
• Any acute or chronic infection disease or fever in the past month
• Antibiotic use in the past 2 months
• Use of any prescribed medications (incl. GLP-1 agonists), except for contraceptives
• Usage of recreational drugs in the last three months
• Unstable body weight (weight gain or loss >5% of total BW in the past three months)
• Following any restrictive diet within one month of starting the study (for example a ketogenic diet or weight loss diet)
• Fasted for 16 hours or longer in the past week
• History of an eating disorder (e.g., anorexia nervosa, bulimia nervosa, or binge eating disorder)
• Allergic to one or more components of the standardized meal and/or shake (i.e., milk, wheat, and soy)
• Average alcohol intake that exceeds 1 consumption/day or 7 consumptions/week over the past month
• Tobacco smoker or regular use of nicotine products
• Donated or intend to donate blood from 2 months before the study until the end of the study
• Being pregnant or lactating
• Participation in another biomedical study during this study

Where it is running

• Human Metabolic Research Unit, Division of Nutritional Sciences. Cornell University — Ithaca, New York, United States (enrolling)

Full record on ClinicalTrials.gov

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