Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Review
. 2025 Jul 23;17(15):2407.
doi: 10.3390/nu17152407.

Does Energy Restriction and Loss of Body Fat Account for the Effect of Intermittent Fasting on Cognitive Function?

Fulvia Draicchio  1 , Kathleen V Axen  1
Affiliations
Review

Does Energy Restriction and Loss of Body Fat Account for the Effect of Intermittent Fasting on Cognitive Function?

Fulvia Draicchio et al. Nutrients. .

Abstract

Intermittent fasting (IF) and caloric restriction (CR) have garnered attention for their potential to enhance cognitive function, particularly in aging and metabolically compromised populations. This narrative review critically examines whether the cognitive benefits of IF are attributable to its specific fasting patterns or are instead mediated by the production of weight loss, fat loss, and improvements in insulin sensitivity. Evidence from human trials suggests that reductions in body weight, especially visceral adiposity, and improvements in insulin resistance are key factors linked to enhanced cognitive performance. Comparisons between the results of IF and CR trials show comparable cognitive outcomes, supporting the idea that negative energy balance, rather than fasting or altered eating patterns, drive these effects. However, further investigation of specific types of IF patterns, as well as possible cognitive domains to be affected, may identify mechanisms through which IF can yield benefits on neurocognitive health beyond those of loss of body fat and its accompanying inflammatory state.

Keywords: Inflammation; Time-Restricted eating (TRE); body fat; brain health; caloric restriction (CR); cognitive function; insulin resistance; intermittent fasting (IF); visceral adiposity; weight loss.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no conflicts of interest.

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
Flow chart of literature search.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

Similar articles

See all similar articles

References

    1. Alsuwaidi H.N., Ahmed A.I., Alkorbi H.A., Ali S.M., Altarawneh L.N., Uddin S.I., Roueentan S.R., Alhitmi A.A., Djouhri L., Chivese T. Association between Metabolic Syndrome and Decline in Cognitive Function: A Cross-Sectional Study. DMSO. 2023;16:849–859. doi: 10.2147/DMSO.S393282. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Wang X., Ji L., Tang Z., Ding G., Chen X., Lv J., Chen Y., Li D. The Association of Metabolic Syndrome and Cognitive Impairment in Jidong of China: A Cross-Sectional Study. BMC Endocr. Disord. 2021;21:40. doi: 10.1186/s12902-021-00705-w. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Gunstad J., Strain G., Devlin M.J., Wing R., Cohen R.A., Paul R.H., Crosby R.D., Mitchell J.E. Improved Memory Function 12 Weeks After Bariatric Surgery. Surg. Obes. Relat. Dis. 2012;7:465–472. doi: 10.1016/j.soard.2010.09.015. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. O’Leary J., Georgeaux-Healy C., Serpell L. The Impact of Continuous Calorie Restriction and Fasting on Cognition in Adults without Eating Disorders. Nutr. Rev. 2024;83:146–159. doi: 10.1093/nutrit/nuad170. - DOI - PMC - PubMed
    1. Beveridge J., Montgomery A., Grossberg G. Intermittent Fasting and Neurocognitive Disorders: What the Evidence Shows. J. Nutr. Health Aging. 2025;29:100480. doi: 10.1016/j.jnha.2025.100480. - DOI - PMC - PubMed

LinkOut - more resources