Abstract
We examined the evidence for intermittent fasting (IF) as a preventative tool to influence β-amyloid in animal models of Alzheimer’s disease (AD). A Scopus, Ovid, PubMed, and Web of Science (WoS), search yielded 29 results using the keywords “amyloid beta”, “intermittent fasting”, “intermittent caloric restriction”, “alternate day fasting”, “modified alternate-day fasting”, “time-restricted feeding”, “Ramadan fast”, “intermittent calori* restriction”, “intermittent restrictive diet”, and “Alzheimer*”. Five research articles addressed directly the effects of intermittent fasting on β-amyloid levels in animal models of AD: alternate day fasting (ADF) and time-restricted feeding (TRF) methods were incorporated in these studies. The study designs were found to be heterogeneous. Variations in the levels of β-amyloid peptides or plaque in either the hippocampus, cortical areas, or both in animals following dietary intervention were observed as compared to the ad libitum group. Non-significant changes were observed in three studies, while two studies interestingly demonstrated amelioration and reduction in β-amyloid levels. Given the conflicting results obtained from this study, significant care has to be taken into consideration before the protocol can be applied as a preventative approach to treat Alzheimer’s disease. Longitudinal research is warranted to fully grasp how dietary habits can help alleviate the disease either through upstream or downstream of AD pathology.
Highlights
Intermittent fasting has recently gained popularity owing to several health benefits associated with its practice [1]
There are several different variants of intermittent fasting: every other day/alternate day fasting (ADF), periodic fasting [2], time-restricted feeding (TRF)
APPNL-G-F -TRF performed significantly better than APPNL-G-F -ad libitum in the Y-Maze test
Summary
Intermittent fasting has recently gained popularity owing to several health benefits associated with its practice [1]. It is an alternative means used to achieve weight loss as opposed to the traditional method of undergoing caloric restriction (20–40% reduction in daily caloric intake) and/or physical activity. This lifestyle intervention is not a type of diet in a conventional sense, but a pattern that repetitively cycles between periods of fasting and intervened with unrestricted eating periods. Studies in human subjects have demonstrated an improvement in health indicators both in healthy and diseased conditions These health outcomes are not limited to solely weight control but in a plethora of other circumstances including cardiovascular disorders, metabolic syndrome, and cancer [2,5,6,7,8,9,10,11,12]
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Free) 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a call
