Does Intermittent Fasting Make You Smarter?

There is no doubt that intermittent fasting–a practice by which one fasts and feeds at set intervals–has helped many practitioners drop fat, but is it also making these folks smarter? Mark Mattson, the chief scientist at the Laboratory of Neurosciences thinks it might.

Mattson’s team studied forty mice. Both groups consumed the same number of calories over the course of the study, but one group took every other day off eating while the other group ate normally. The fasting group exhibited a 50 percent increase in brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF).  BDNF has been called “Miracle-Gro for the brain” due to its roll in building and maintaining our brain cells’ circuitry through neurogenesis.

Will Mattson’s results translate in human studies? The Mental Mojo Team is monitoring this fascinating body of research closely, and will keep you posted!

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