We can say that most people know what intermittent fasting is. Not so much perhaps because they practice it, but because they know that many people practice it and use it to speed up their metabolism and help burn calories, thus helping them lose weight. The fact is that recent studies have uncovered that intermittent fasting can affect the brain. In this sense, the team observed changes in brain regions conventionally linked to appetite and addictions. Now we delve into the details.
Researchers in China studied 25 volunteers were on an intermittent energy restriction (IER) program
It all begins, like many other studies, with the selection of a group of people who will be key participants in the experiment. Researchers in China studied 25 volunteers classified as obese over a period of 62 days. During those days, the participants participated in an intermittent energy restriction (IER) program, a regimen that involves carefully controlling calorie intake and relative fasting on some days.
Participants lost an average of 7.6 kg during the intervention, and 7.8% of their body mass, also on average
Regarding weight loss, participants lost an average of 7.6 kg during the intervention, and 7.8% of their body mass, also on average. Keep in mind that the program included alternating between days of a “normal” diet and days in which calorie intake was limited to a greater or lesser extent through fasting.
The changes observed in the gut microbiome and in the activity of brain are highly dynamic and coupled over time
Thus, the researchers found changes in two important areas: the brain and the microbiota. They observed, for example, increases in the relative presence of the bacteria Faecalibacterium prausnitzii, Parabacteroides distasonis, and Bacterokles uniformis, as well as a reduction in the presence of Escherichia coli. “The changes observed in the gut microbiome and in the activity of brain regions related to addiction during and after weight loss are highly dynamic and coupled over time,” the researchers said.
Changes in the gastrointestinal system somehow generate alterations in the participants’ brains
In any case, what remains unclear is whether changes in the brain generate changes in the microbiota or the other way around. That is, whether changes in the gastrointestinal system somehow generate alterations in the participants’ brains. What has been discovered is that the abundance of E. coli, Coprococcus comes, and Eubacterium hallii bacteria was associated with activity in the left inferior orbital frontal gyrus, while bacteria such as P. distasonis and Flavonifractor plautii were associated with activity in brain regions linked to motor functions, emotions, and learning. “Here, we demonstrate that an IER diet alters the human brain-gut-microbiome axis,” said health researcher Qiang Zeng of the Second Medical Center and National Clinical Research Center for Geriatric Diseases in China, when the results were published in December 2023.
A better understanding of how our brain and gut interact could make a difference in preventing and reducing obesity
The data is clear. It’s estimated that more than one billion people worldwide suffer from obesity, which carries a higher risk of various health problems. So, in one way or another, it’s important to maintain a balanced diet to maintain physical and mental health over time. A better understanding of how our brain and gut interact could make a huge difference in effectively preventing and reducing obesity. Because let’s remember that it’s not just the health of the microbiota that can prevent heart or brain problems, but also psychological problems. The gut and the mind are so intertwined.
