One month of time-restricted eating linked to a nine-month drop in estimated brain age in new study
Can when you eat affect your brain? In a small study, men with metabolic syndrome who ate only between 8 a.m. and 4 p.m. for a month showed memory gains and gray matter increases in memory-related regions.
A recent study published in Frontiers in Aging found that restricting meals to an eight-hour window for a month can reduce the estimated age of the brain by nine months in men with metabolic syndrome. This dietary approach, known as early time-restricted eating, is a type of intermittent fasting that involves consuming all daily meals within a fixed morning to mid-afternoon window.
The study participants, all men aged 25-55 with an average age of around 35 years, had at least three out of five risk factors associated with metabolic syndrome, which increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, type 2 diabetes, and cognitive decline. The researchers measured the participants' brain age using MRI scans, comparing the results to their actual chronological age to determine the brain age gap.
Participants who adhered to the time-restricted eating regimen showed improvements in memory test scores, lost weight, and exhibited better blood sugar and insulin sensitivity. Additionally, they experienced an increase in gray matter volume in several deep brain regions, including two associated with memory. Metabolic syndrome, a cluster of physiological conditions, is linked to accelerated brain aging and memory loss, with men more susceptible to cognitive decline than women of the same age.
The study suggests that early time-restricted eating may counteract the effects of metabolic dysfunction on the brain through various pathways, such as chronic inflammation, reduced blood flow in small cerebral vessels, and central insulin resistance.
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