Khaberni - A new study has found that short-term fasting does not impair thinking and memory in healthy adults, but it may cause a slight cognitive decline in children.
Skipping meals for up to 12 hours does not weaken brain power in healthy adults.
This means that if you have ever skipped breakfast, or tried intermittent fasting and feared it might cause some mental distraction, a new study suggests that this is not the case.
In this study conducted by researchers from the Universities of Auckland and Ludron, scientists reviewed 71 studies involving nearly 3500 participants, including some children.
According to "Health Day", the studies tested memory, decision-making abilities, and reaction speed, and found no real difference in adults.
The researchers said that skipping meals for up to 12 hours does not weaken brain power in healthy adults.
The only exceptions
Minor declines were observed after fasting for more than 12 hours among children, whose developing brains benefit from regular meals.
The cause of distraction
Interestingly, the researchers found that fasting mainly affects cognitive tasks related to food stimuli, such as processing food-related words.
This suggests that the distraction may be due to hunger and not cognitive deterioration.
The study also indicates that short-term fasting can stimulate beneficial metabolic shifts, such as using fat as an energy source, which may support long-term health.
