Caloric Intake and its Effect on Aging and Cognitive Slowing: A Review of the Research into Intermittent Fasting

Abstract

Aging has been defined as the biological changes occurring during a lifetime that result in a decreased resistance to cellular stress, more vulnerability to disease, and increased likelihood of death. Some mechanisms of aging that will be discussed in this paper include instability of genomes, neuroendocrine secreted factors, production of reactive oxygen species, altered calcium levels, and inflammation. Aging rates are species-specific, which suggests a strong genetic influence. However, one major variable shown to affect the rate of aging in many different species is caloric intake. Intermittent fasting involves increasing the interval between meals, therefore, lowering the daily caloric intake by approximately 40%. Although cells in the body require energy from food in order to survive and function, an excessive amount of calories can compromise cell function over time and lead to detrimental health effects. Because of this, dietary restriction including intermittent fasting, can increase resistance to disease and also lifespan. Intermittent fasting has also been shown to improve memory, learning, and neurogenesis in the brain. Many recent studies have shown that dietary restriction has profound effects on the brain, and protects neurons against degeneration of Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Huntington’s diseases. Dietary restriction stimulates the production of new neurons from stem cells and enhances synaptic plasticity, which allows the brain to resist the changes of aging. These influences of the caloric intake on brain function and vulnerability to disease revealed new cellular mechanisms connected to diet that affect our nervous systems and are now leading to preventative and therapeutic approaches for neurodegenerative disorders. *Corresponding author: Lindsay Talemal, Lewis Katz School of Medicine, Temple University, Philadelphia, PA, USA Check for updates