Short-term fasting induced changes in HRV are associated with interoceptive accuracy: Evidence from two independent within-subjects studies

• Main Authors: Aldrian, A. (Author), Berger, L. (Author), Rominger, C. (Author), Schwerdtfeger, A.R (Author), Weber, B. (Author)
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Inc. 2021
• Subjects: adult; article; controlled study; diet restriction; eye tracking; fasting; Fasting; female; food deprivation; Food deprivation; Food Deprivation; heart; Heart; heart rate; Heart Rate; heart rate variability; Heartbeat detection task; Heartbeat tracking task; HRV; human; human experiment; Humans; interoception; Interoception; major clinical study; male; vagus nerve
• Online Access: View Fulltext in Publisher
• ISBN: 00319384 (ISSN)
• DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2021.113558

Previous research suggested increased cardiac interoceptive accuracy after 24-h food-deprivation by means of the heartbeat tracking task. The present study investigated if 16-h of voluntary fasting shows similar effects and whether changes in interoceptive accuracy are accompanied by changes in autonomic function. In two independent within-subjects studies two measures of interoceptive accuracy, the heartbeat tracking task and the heartbeat discrimination task were applied. In study 1 (n = 24) and study 2 (n = 72) vagally-mediated HRV increases and heart rate decreases were observed. Stronger effects of fasting on vagally-mediated HRV went along with a higher interoceptive accuracy increase in the heartbeat tracking task. Furthermore, the fasting associated changes in interoceptive accuracy in both tasks were significantly associated, suggesting that these tasks are suitable to track changes in cardiac interoception. Taken together, fasting of 16-h might be suitable to increase participants’ parasympathetic efference, thereby facilitating interoception. © 2021 The Author(s)