Intermittent fasting is a “non-diet” that is gaining popularity in the nutritional field swiftly. Fasting, in contrast to fad diets, is as ancient as mankind itself, making it more than simply a fleeting craze.
You already fast every day; our bodies are made to do so.
You’re fasting from the end of your last meal at night until breakfast the next morning. The goal of intermittent fasting is to gradually widen this window until your body and brain start reaping the advantages.
Improving the function of the brain, weight reduction, and preventing diseases are all part of intermittent fasting benefits. Here is additional information about intermittent fasting and instructions on how to begin your own fast.
Brain Health and Fasting
Only a small amount of clinical study has been done by scientists to determine how intermittent fasting could impact brain function. Extensive research on religious fasting, however, has shown hopeful findings regarding mental illness and the aging of the brain.
IF’s Effects on the Mental Health
A number of studies have examined the potential effects of intermittent fasting on conditions such as stress, anxiety, and depression.
Over 1,400 individuals from 11 of these trials were examined in a recent scholarly assessment.
The majority of research focused on Ramadan, the holiest month for Muslims when people fast from sunrise to sunset. Others included 14/10 time-restricted eating, the 5:2 and 1-day-per-week fasts, and others.
The researchers discovered that Ramadan fasting was linked to reductions in stress, anxiety, and depressive symptoms.
The research for different types of intermittent fasting benefits for brain health did not yield significant findings when combined. The remaining trials, however, revealed that the anxiety and sadness levels decreased in people after following intermittent fasting when the small studies were eliminated.
Although these are encouraging discoveries, it is unclear how fasting and progress in mental health are associated specifically and if this is because of intermittent fasting or merely because fewer calories are consumed.
IF’s Effects on the Memory
Studies on mice have demonstrated that intermittent fasting boosts the animals’ capacity for hippocampal neurogenesis, a process known to make new brain cells. Due to the significance of this process for specific components of memory, researchers have started to follow it up with human subjects.
In one small trial, overweight individuals aged 35 to 75 chose between a traditional calorie-restricted diet and intermittent fasting for 4 weeks.
The outcomes demonstrated gains in both groups for pattern separation, a procedure that aids your brain in differentiating between similar memories. However, thereafter, those in the intermittent fasting group actually showed lower abilities in terms of recognition memory.
People who held the study came to the conclusion that calorie restriction might enhance memory functions based on hippocampus neurogenesis. There was, however, no proof that this had anything to do with how intermittent fasting specifically functions.
How Does IF Impact Our General Health?
When following an intermittent fasting meal plan, the body begins secreting more of the so-called human growth hormone (HGH) after just a few hours of fasting. This hormone alters metabolism to prioritize the utilization of fat over protein.
Proteins can therefore be primarily employed for cell repair and enhancing brain cell function. Additionally, HGH lowers bodily inflammation and promotes the activation of autophagy.
Autophagy is a mechanism that supports the health and longevity of our cells by cleaning out and recycling unneeded or damaged cell components (often known as “cellular junk”). The amount of a protein known as a brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is also increased by IF. When taken as a whole, these processes improve how the brain functions.
How Do These Modifications Affect Our Brains?
Our brain benefits from all of these changes in health conditions in fasting (protein sparing, reduced inflammation, autophagy, and increased BDNF synthesis). On the one hand, they lessen the harm done to brain cells by, for instance, controlling inflammatory responses and eliminating waste from the brain.
Aside from that, they also encourage healthy brain function by enhancing cell repair and helping to build new brain cells and connections between them, which helps facilitate the brain’s overall functioning. moreover, IF promotes healthy aging by having a neuroprotective impact.
Takeaway
There is no substantial evidence that IF is beneficial for brain health. On the other hand, there are several stories, studies, and evidence that reveal it to be highly beneficial for general health. Just remember to be mindful when practicing any IF method.
