[n4r9]

I've read that fasting can increase GH levels. Do you know of any studies that directly link fasting to muscle growth? Intuitively I would guess that increased GH in the absence of a calorie surplus might lead to good muscle maintenance but poor muscle growth, particularly in people who already have a decent amount of muscle.

[sridca]

I do not know of studies, other than anecdotes such as this one:

> So, during the FMD I lost approximately 4.2 lbs of body fat, while GAINING nearly a pound of muscle! There was also a nice muscle building “rebound” effect once my fast ended and I began to exercise again.

https://www.quantifiedbob.com/fasting-mimicking-diet/

[n4r9]

That seems extremely dubious, given:

> during my fast I refrained from any physical activity – no workouts or sports

and:

> for this experiment my Omron scale had to do since I didn’t have access to more accurate body composition tools

[jki275]

As someone who regularly fasts for a variety of reasons, I would agree -- it's nearly impossible to gain muscle while fasting anyway, and without working out in any way I can't imagine how that could happen at all.

But most likely the tool is measuring inaccurately.

[sridca]

> it's nearly impossible to gain muscle while fasting anyway

Fasting may not affect muscle gain during the fast, but it may during the following refeed.

[jki275]

I'm sure that's possible -- I've never experienced it. Perhaps if I were more disciplined about recovery.