O'Leary, John;
Georgeaux-Healy, Chloe;
Serpell, Lucy;
(2024)
The impact of continuous calorie restriction and fasting on cognition in adults without eating disorders.
Nutrition Reviews
10.1093/nutrit/nuad170.
(In press).
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Abstract
Research into the effects of calorie restriction continues to intrigue those interested in whether it may allow humans to live longer and healthier lives. Animal studies of continuous calorie restriction (CCR) and fasting have demonstrated substantial advantages to health and longevity. However, concerns remain about the impact of restricting calorie intake on human health and cognition. Given the emerging evidence of cognitive impairments in eating disorders, studies investigating restricted calorie intake in healthy humans (in an ethical way) may also have implications for understanding restrictive eating disorders. In this review, the published literature on the impact of CCR and fasting on cognitive function in healthy human participants is synthesized. Of the 33 studies of CCR and fasting in humans identified, 23 demonstrated significant changes in cognition. Despite variation across the cognitive domains, results suggest CCR benefits inhibition, processing speed, and working memory, but may lead to impairments in cognitive flexibility. The results of fasting studies suggest fasting is associated with impairments in cognitive flexibility and psychomotor abilities. Overall, the results of these studies suggest the degree (ie, the severity) of calorie restriction is what most likely predicts cognitive improvements as opposed to impairments. For individuals engaging in sustained restriction, this may have serious, irreversible consequences. However, there are mixed findings regarding the impact of CCR and fasting on this aspect of human functioning, suggesting further research is required to understand the costs and benefits of different types of calorie restriction.
| Type: | Article |
|---|---|
| Title: | The impact of continuous calorie restriction and fasting on cognition in adults without eating disorders |
| Location: | United States |
| Open access status: | An open access version is available from UCL Discovery |
| DOI: | 10.1093/nutrit/nuad170 |
| Publisher version: | http://dx.doi.org/10.1093/nutrit/nuad170 |
| Language: | English |
| Additional information: | This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License. The images or other third-party material in this article are included in the Creative Commons license, unless indicated otherwise in the credit line; if the material is not included under the Creative Commons license, users will need to obtain permission from the license holder to reproduce the material. To view a copy of this license, visit http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/ |
| Keywords: | Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Nutrition & Dietetics, calorie restriction, cognitive function, eating disorders, fasting, intermittent fasting, WEIGHT-LOSS, BODY-COMPOSITION, LIFE-SPAN, FOOD-DEPRIVATION, LOW-CARBOHYDRATE, BLOOD-GLUCOSE, ENERGY-INTAKE, PERFORMANCE, MOOD, LONGEVITY |
| UCL classification: | UCL UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences UCL > Provost and Vice Provost Offices > School of Life and Medical Sciences > Faculty of Brain Sciences > Div of Psychology and Lang Sciences > Clinical, Edu and Hlth Psychology |
| URI: | https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/10188880 |
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