Short-Term Fasting Before Chemotherapy in Treating Patients With Cancer

Inclusion Criteria: * Histologically confirmed malignancy * Scheduled to undergo 4 or more cycles of chemotherapy (with or without past chemotherapy treatment); NOTE: Acceptable chemotherapy regimens are those that have all drugs infused on the first day of the chemotherapy cycle over a period =\< 8 hours; EXCEPTION: Continuous 5-FU-containing regimens (such as FOLFOX6 and FOLFIRI) are allowed as both the 5-FU bolus as well as the oxaliplatin and irinotecan administration is completed on day 1 of chemotherapy * Life expectancy of \>= 168 days (6 months) * Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) performance status 0 or 1 * Body mass index (BMI) \> 21 kg/m\^2 * Weight loss \< 5% of body weight in the last 168 days (6 months) * Adequate renal function (serum creatinine \< 1.5 X UNL \[upper normal limit\] or creatinine clearance \> 50 ml/min) * Negative pregnancy test done =\< 7 days prior to registration, for women of childbearing potential only * Provide informed consent * Ability to complete patient booklet by themselves or with assistance * Ability and willingness to undergo \>= 24-hour fast prior to chemotherapy * Willingness to be treated at Mayo Clinic Rochester and be available for follow-up * Patient willing to provide blood samples for correlative research purposes Exclusion Criteria: * Any of the following: * Pregnant women; * Nursing women; * Men or women of childbearing potential who are unwilling to employ adequate contraception throughout the study period * Diabetes mellitus undergoing therapy with insulin or oral agents * History of low serum glucose (hypoglycemia) or insulinoma * History of syncope with calorie restriction in the past or other medical comorbidity, which would make fasting potentially dangerous * On daily medication that may not be safely taken without food; NOTE: Any non-essential medications and herbal/vitamin supplements should be held to minimize stomach upset during fasting; vitamin C use is discouraged * Active gastric or duodenal peptic ulcer disease * History of significant cardiac disease, particularly uncompensated congestive heart failure New York Heart Association (NYHA) grade 2 or more or left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) \< 40% on any prior assessment; NOTE: Assessment of LVEF prior to therapy is not required in the absence of other clinical indicators of heart disease * Recent history (\< 6 months) of cerebrovascular accident or transient ischemic attacks * History of gout or elevated uric acid level * Psychiatric conditions that preclude adherence to study protocol * Serious intercurrent infections or nonmalignant medical illnesses that are uncontrolled or whose control may potentially be jeopardized by the complications of fasting * Patients receiving parenteral nutrition * Receiving steroids (except dexamethasone given for nausea prevention before chemotherapy) * Patients receiving taxotere-containing chemotherapy regimens requiring pre-treatment steroid administration * Receiving concomitant treatment with insulin-like growth factor (IGF)-receptor blockers or monoclonal antibodies targeting the IGF ligands * Any of the following (prior to registration): * =\< 7 days from the time of a minor surgery; * =\< 21 days from the time of major surgery; * =\< 21 days from the time of radiation therapy * Currently enrolled in a concomitant clinical trial