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Longevity

Longevity Briefs: Can Intermittent Fasting Combat Neurodegenerative Diseases?

Posted on 23 January 2025

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Longevity briefs provides a short summary of novel research in biology, medicine, or biotechnology that caught the attention of our researchers in Oxford, due to its potential to improve our health, wellbeing, and longevity.

The problem:

Calorie restriction (a significant reduction in calorie intake without causing malnutrition) is the earliest known intervention to extend lifespan in animals, and appears to have many health benefits in humans. One such benefit is the production of ketone bodies. When glucose (sugar, the body’s preferred fuel source) is scarce, the liver converts other nutrients into ketone bodies to be used as an alternative fuel. 

Ketone bodies are particularly important for the brain, as it is more dependent on them for energy when compared to other organs during calorie restriction. Furthermore, cognitive decline and neurodegenerative diseases seem to involve a decline in the brain’s ability to metabolise glucose. There is growing evidence that providing an alternative fuel in the form of ketone bodies may be able to improve cognitive function in old age and disease. In this study researchers examine the evidence that intermittent fasting (IF), which seems to be particularly effective for raising ketone body levels, might be an effective intervention in neurodegenerative disease.

The discovery:

Researchers searched and reviewed the scientific literature concerning IF and its effects on brain health, including both human and animal studies. They discuss what we know so far:

  • In mice, IF appears to enhance the formation of new neurons and the formation and strengthening of synaptic connections, both of which are essential for learning and memory, but also for rebuilding following brain injury and disease. BDNF and CREB, proteins that work together to ensure the survival of neurons and their connections, saw increased production during IF.
  • Mouse models of various forms of cognitive impairment suggest that IF reduces inflammation in the brain, or neuroinflammation. Neuroinflammation is thought to play a significant role in most human neurodegenerative diseases.
  • The effects of IF in humans with neurodegenerative diseases are understudied. Observational data suggests that people with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) had significantly improved cognitive function after 36 months of regular IF compared to irregular IF or no IF. Indeed, 24% of participants practicing regular IF no longer met the criteria for MCI by the end of the study.

The implications:

There are reasons to be optimistic that intermittent fasting might prevent or lessen the impact of neurodegenerative diseases by improving neuroplasticity and reducing neuroinflammation. However, the human evidence remains very limited, and while IF can be safe even in people who are elderly or frail, it needs to be approached with caution as it is easier to accidentally cause malnutrition in this group.


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    References

    Title image by Robina Weermeijer, Upslash

    Intermittent fasting and neurocognitive disorders: What the evidence shows https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jnha.2025.100480

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