Mark Mattson, Head of the Neuroscience Laboratory at the National Institute on Aging (USA) and Professor of Neuroscience at Johns Hopkins University, has been conducting research for many years to understand the cellular and molecular mechanisms that underlie many neurodegenerative diseases. Why is it healthy to eat three meals a day, which we also supplement with snacks? According to Professor Mattson, this approach to eating food is not the most beneficial for the human body and is detrimental to brain activity. Based on the professor's TEDx talk, estet-portal.com will explain why short-term fasting is good for the whole body and for the brain in particular.
Intermittent fasting – scientifically proven benefits
A study published earlier in the journal Cell Stem Cell by researchers at the University of Southern California found that cycles of fasting protect the immune system from damage and help it regenerate. Scientists have come to the conclusion that fasting switches cells from sleep mode to self-renewal mode. Fasting triggers the regeneration of organs and body systems through the activation of stem cells.
Due to a number of changes that occur in the body during periods of short-term fasting, you can:
- lower cholesterol;
- strengthen the immune system;
- get rid of excess body fat;
- strengthen heart health;
- improve metabolism;
- increase the level of growth hormone;
- stimulate the elimination of toxins;
- reduce the risk of depression;
- learn to manage stress;
- improve memory and learning.
Intermittent fasting promotes fat burning and the production of beneficial ketones, and reduces oxidative stress.
What happens in the brain during intermittent fasting?
Mark Mattson and his team have published several papers in which he explains exactly how fasting two days a week reduces the risk of Alzheimer's and Parkinson's.
The brain benefits of intermittent fasting are due to the beneficial neurochemical changes that occur in the brain when we fast. Also intermittent fasting:
- improves cognitive function;
- increases the level of neurotrophic factors in the brain;
- increases the ability of the brain to withstand stress;
- suppresses inflammation.
Starvation – it is stress for the brain to which it responds by adapting stress response pathways that help the brain cope with stress and resist disease. However, such changes caused by short-term fasting are comparable to the positive changes that occur as a result of intense physical exercise.
Both of these factors (fasting and exercise) stimulate the production of a protein (neurotrophic factors) in the brain, which stimulates the growth of neurons, synapses (connections between neurons), and also strengthens neural connections.
Short-term fasting stimulates the formation of new neurons from stem cells in the hoppocampus. Professor Mattson also mentioned the stimulation of the production of ketones, which serve as an alternative energy source for the brain, as well as an increase in the number of mitochondria in nerve cells – such changes occur as the brain adapts to stress.
As a result of the increase in the number of mitochondria in neurons, the ability of nerve cells to form and maintain connections with each other is also increased, resulting in increased learning and improved memory.
Changing your diet has long been known to affect the brain. Under conditions of calorie restriction or fasting, the incidence of epileptic seizures decreased in children.
Short-term fasting increases the ability of nerve cells to repair DNA.
How do I find the right intermittent fasting plan?
Before you begin the process of intermittent fasting, choose a pattern that will allow you to fast. For example, Mark Mattson recommends trying a gentle fasting schedule – diet 5:2. Such a plan involves limiting food to 1/4 of the number of calories (on fasting days) that you consume on normal days – up to about 600 kcal for men and 500 kcal for women, as well as drinking plenty of water and tea. On the other five days of the week, you can eat as usual.
Another way of short-term fasting is to limit the "eating window" up to 8 hours or less. For example: You eat only from 11 am to 7 pm, and refuse to eat the rest of the time.
In any case, nutrition is one of the main factors in maintaining health. Intermittent fasting, along with exercise and mental activity, is an excellent brain booster that will prevent premature aging and strengthen the entire body.
Add a comment