Biohacking your brain - Intermittent Fasting

Giving the body more time to digest and absorb important nutrients reduces stress and inflammation. Intermittent fasting improves various metabolic features and processes in the body. Research has shown that intermittent fasting may be a tool to reduce/slow the occurrence of brain degenerative diseases such as Alzheimers.

Fasting has been shown to reduce inflammation in the body. Inflammation could be from exercise, environmental factors or the foods we eat. Fasting reduces the stress on the body of having to constantly digest and process food, giving it more time to utilize key nutrients more efficiently.

When we fast, the cells in the body initiate a cellular "waste removal" process called autophagy. This involves the cells breaking down and metabolizing broken and dysfunctional proteins that build up inside cells over time. Increased autophagy may provide protection against several diseases, including cancer and Alzheimer's disease.

Fasting has also been shown to increase the levels of a brain hormone called brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), a deficiency of which has been implicated in depression and various other brain problems.

Oxidative stress is one of the steps towards aging and many chronic diseases. It involves unstable molecules called free radicals, which react with other important molecules (like protein and DNA) and damage them. Several studies show that intermittent fasting may enhance the body's resistance to oxidative stress.