Could Fasting Reduce Signs of Alzheimer’s?
It’s been proven that what people eat can help prevent or slow Alzheimer’s disease — but what about when they eat? Participating in intermittent (time-restricted) fasting could lead to a reduced risk of cognitive deterioration, a recent study published in the journal Cell Metabolism suggests.
Researchers at the University of California San Diego School of Medicine adjusted the feeding schedule of certain groups of mice so that they only ate within six-hour windows each day. (This would be equivalent to 14 hours of fasting for humans, the researchers noted.) Compared to a control group of mice that ate on demand, the fasting mice showed improvements in memory, were less hyperactive in the evenings, and had fewer sleep disruptions. They also were shown to have less buildup of amyloid proteins in the brain, which is a hallmark of Alzheimer’s disease.
The goal of restricted eating is to restore the circadian rhythm, the researchers said, which could help counteract the numerous disruptions that Alzheimer’s patients face when it comes to sleep and schedule-related confusion.
Excerpted from the New York Post
