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Abstract
The importance of diet and the gut-brain axis for brain health and cognitive function is increasingly acknowledged. Dietary interventions are tested for their potential to prevent and/or treat brain disorders. Intermittent fasting (IF), the abstinence or strong limitation of calories for 12 to 48 h, alternated with periods of regular food intake, has shown promising results on neurobiological health in animal models. In this review article, we discuss the potential benefits of IF on cognitive function and the possible effects on the prevention and progress of brain-related disorders in animals and humans. We do so by summarizing the effects of IF which through metabolic, cellular, and circadian mechanisms lead to anatomical and functional changes in the brain. Our review shows that there is no clear evidence of a positive short-term effect of IF on cognition in healthy subjects. Clinical studies show benefits of IF for epilepsy, Alzheimer’s disease, and multiple sclerosis on disease symptoms and progress. Findings from animal studies show mechanisms by which Parkinson’s disease, ischemic stroke, autism spectrum disorder, and mood and anxiety disorders could benefit from IF. Future research should disentangle whether positive effects of IF hold true regardless of age or the presence of obesity. Moreover, variations in fasting patterns, total caloric intake, and intake of specific nutrients may be relevant components of IF success. Longitudinal studies and randomized clinical trials (RCTs) will provide a window into the long-term effects of IF on the development and progress of brain-related diseases.
Highlights
Brain diseases are among the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, becoming more important as the incidence has grown substantially in the past decades [1,2]
The Mediterranean-Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) Intervention for Neurodegenerative Delay (MIND) diet is a combination of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet, composed of food that are associated with slowing down cognitive decline [8]
While no clinical Intermittent fasting (IF) studies are performed on Parkinson’s disease (PD) so far, ischemic stroke and mood- and anxiety disorders, animal models indicate a remodeling of the gut microbiome and reduced neuronal loss in PD, reduced neuronal loss and cognitive loss in ischemic stroke, and heightened brain-derived neurotrophic factors (BDNF) levels inducing antidepressant-like effects in moodand anxiety disorders
Summary
Brain diseases are among the leading causes of death and disability worldwide, becoming more important as the incidence has grown substantially in the past decades [1,2]. Despite the large number of studies that have been initiated to find possible treatments of brain-related diseases, therapeutic options are still mostly based on symptom relief while cures have not yet been found. Epidemiological evidence supports a role for life style factors that can open new potential avenues to aid the prevention of brain-related diseases [3]. The interplay between diets and their effect on the brain [4]. Several diets are found to support brain health, with most evidence pointing toward the Mediterranean diet (for a review see Scarmeas et al [5]), which is high in vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, beans, cereals, grains, fish, and olive oil [6].
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