Intermittent Fasting and Weight Loss: Impact on Brain and Gut Health
A team of researchers has made a significant discovery in the fight against global obesity, revealing that intermittent caloric restriction can induce notable changes in both the brain and gut, potentially paving the way for new strategies to maintain a healthy weight.
The findings were published on "Science Alert," based on research from the journal Frontiers in Cellular and Infection Microbiology.
Twenty-five 25 volunteers classified as obese participated in a 62-day intermittent energy restriction IER program, which carefully controlled caloric intake and included fasting on certain days.
The results indicated that participants lost an average of 7.6 kilograms, approximately 7.8% of their body weight, accompanied by observable changes in brain activity related to obesity and gut microbiota composition.
* Brain, Gut, and Microbiome
Researcher Qiang Zeng from the Second Hospital and National Clinical Research Center for Aging-Related Diseases in China stated:
"It has been shown that a low-calorie diet alters the brain-gut-microbiome axis in humans."
He noted that changes in gut microbiota and brain activity associated with addiction were dynamic and interconnected over time, observed through functional magnetic resonance imaging fMRI in areas controlling appetite and behavior, including the inferior frontal gyrus.
Changes in gut microbiota, analyzed from stool samples and blood measurements, were also linked to specific brain areas. For instance, the bacteria Coprococcus comes and Eubacterium hallii were negatively correlated with activity in the left inferior frontal gyrus, the region responsible for self-control during eating.
Researcher Xiaoning Wang commented:
"The gut microbiome communicates with the brain in a complex and bidirectional manner, where the gut produces neurotransmitters and toxins that reach the brain, while the brain regulates eating behavior, and nutrients alter the microbiome composition."
* Addressing Global Obesity
Statistics indicate that over one billion people worldwide suffer from obesity, increasing the risk of serious illnesses such as cancer and heart disease.
According to medical biologist Liming Wang from the Chinese Academy of Sciences:
"The next challenge is to understand the precise mechanisms of communication between the gut microbiome and the brain during weight loss, and to identify the most critical areas to ensure successful weight loss and maintenance of a healthy weight."
Understanding the complex relationship between the brain and gut could lead to the development of effective dietary solutions to combat obesity more safely and successfully.
