Can Intermittent Fasting Alter Your Brain?

The study, published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, revealed that people who took part in the research lost an average of 7.5 kilograms in two months after intermittent fasting.

Losing weight by intermittent fasting can dramatically alter brain activity for appetite and addiction, a new research has revealed. According to the New York Post, researchers at the Health Management Institute in Beijing found that this trendy weight loss method which has been touted by celebrities including Jennifer Aniston and Gwyneth Paltrow, can lead to significantly changed gut bacteria and brain activity, with both positive and negative effects. Notably, the intermittent energy restriction (IER) diet involves days of relative fasting alternated with days of eating normally.

The study, published in Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology, revealed that people who took part in the research lost an average of 7.5 kilograms in two months. After IER, researchers found the participants were seen to have decreases in the activity of brain regions implicated in the regulation of appetite and addiction. There was also an increase in the abundance of certain gut bacteria that can help with attention, motor, inhibition, emotion and learning, the study revealed. 

Excerpted from NDTV

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