Your Brain on Intermittent Fasting: More Cognitive Benefits From Eating Less Often?

Although intermittent fasting is most widely known as a weight-loss strategy, emerging research suggests that it could have benefits for brain health and cognition. But does it actually work, are there any drawbacks and how long would you have to fast to see benefits?

WSJ’s Daniela Hernandez breaks down what’s known and what’s not about the neuroscience of intermittent fasting.

0:00 Could intermittent fasting help our brains work better and longer?
0:31 How long would you have to fast to see any potential cognitive benefits?
1:04 How intermittent fasting could affect your ability to focus
2:27 Potential mood-related benefits of intermittent fasting
2:48 How intermittent fasting can affect brain health
4:03 Potential drawbacks of intermittent fasting

I’m Daniela Hernandez, a health and science reporter for WSJ, and on this channel I’ll be covering a variety of subjects from Covid-19 to planetary science and climate change. If you’re interested in science and health and how cutting edge research impacts our lives, don’t forget to subscribe.

#Fasting #Neuroscience #DanielaHernandez

[DanielaHernandezWSJ]

Have you ever tried intermittent fasting for cognitive benefits? If so, what was your experience?

[outbackfrank]

I can agree, I’ve been intermittent fasting for months and I find myself far more productive in the mornings and not weighted down by a heavy breakfast.

[gregorymalchuk]

Caloric restriction is one of the few things we know can extend human lifespan.

[Stranger_In_The_Alps]

Fasting feels like taking adderall but without the zombie feeling and without the crash

[GreatStuffWatch]

Been doing it off and on for several years. It does wonders for me both mentally and physically. But I think like all things in health, every person is different and it might have the opposite effect for some people.

[afterdark]

I work nights and once a month fast for three to four days. Along with a 20/4 intermittent fasting schedule.

[hijklmnop]

I wonder if studies have been done in cultures which eat dinner late, like in Spain?.... because my version of intermittent fasting is just to be old-fashioned and eat dinner at 5pm! Then, if you're done eating by 6pm, and don't have breakfast until 8am, that's 14 hours! Voila! The key is to avoid dessert and snacking before bedtime... a daily struggle ;)

[nunuwinarsih]

In Islam there are optional fasting or we called it sunnah fasting, such as fasting on every monday and thursday, also there's Dawud fasting which are doing intermitten by one day fasting one day break, MashaAllah, the benefits of fasting 👍

[Luther_Luffeigh]

NYTimes recently published an article “Scientists Find No Benefit to Time-Restricted Eating” of results of a new study but I still believe in IF

[ahheng]

Intermittent Fasting & Low Carbohydrate is the proper human diet since our caveman ancestors. It was forgotten when pharmaceutical & modern medicine was introduced. Both also is part of our survival evolution mechanism with optimization of brain & body hormones.
People nowadays start to aware of the benefits of Intermittent Fasting & Low Carbohydrate when modern medical fail to treat our metabolic syndrome illness which is cause by Food industries & sedentary lifestyle.
Scientific research & human trial are important for mainstream but human experience is best proof.
Please do more news on these.
I being on intermittent Fasting & Low Carbohydrate for more than 4 year, my mind body is at the best at age 52. Greetings from Malaysia.

[allwhatilove]

I don’t know about that. I’ve been intermittent fasting for about 20 years. I didn’t know there was a name for it, it’s just how my metabolism works. I generally fast 20h/day seven days a week. I still had to play back the video 3x because I wasn’t paying attention. And it’s a 5 minutes video. Ok, I have ADHD, but I don’t see any improvement in focus after all this time.

[chrisbowles]

I've tried it and disagree, but everyone is different and the affects also depends on what your health and diet ate at the tme of fasting. You can do clean keto with same affects, never be hungry after adapted, energy, low inflammation, but social aspect can be challenging when friends want to go to a carb restuarant like italian. Good luck on your health journey

[Stranger_In_The_Alps]

Jason Fung has been saying this for years

[Anna-mcll]

How about people who have an BMI UNDER 17, 5? Do they also need to do intermittent fasting?

[kinglucos]

Ummm this is awkward but maim you look so young, energetic and bright, what’s the recipe

[Rajeevinsane]

Well it works with people have brains.

[msromike]

You don't need to talk to your doctor at all for anything under 72 hrs and mor realistically less than a week. If it was dangerous humans that were holed up in a cave or their home in a blizzard would have died.

[joeyc]

Chocolate and Cheetos? That killed my appetite. should be an easy day.

[bijanbonyadi]

There are no side effects to intermittent fasting.

[flamixin]

Not really sometimes. When I am sometimes hungry my brain stops working and I lose all my productivity because of the low blood sugar condition I guess. This research might not be totally true.