A groundbreaking study has challenged the popular belief that hunger leads to poor concentration or reduced mental function, revealing that intermittent fasting does not negatively impact the cognitive abilities of healthy adults.
According to research published in the Psychological Bulletin, participants who fasted for up to 12 hours performed just as well as those who had recently eaten in tasks related to memory, reasoning, reaction time, and problem-solving.
Dr. David Morrow, associate professor of psychology at the University of Auckland and lead author of the study, stated:
“We found no consistent evidence that short-term fasting impairs mental performance. In fact, the fasting group performed remarkably similar to non-fasters, suggesting that cognitive functions remain stable even without food.”
The review analyzed 71 previous studies involving about 3,500 participants, concluding that fasting for less than half a day does not harm brain performance or mental clarity.
Morrow added that the finding was somewhat surprising, as it goes against the common notion that hunger dulls the mind, explaining that data show the brain remains alert even after skipping a meal.
However, the researchers observed a slight decline in mental performance when fasting continued for more than 12 hours, and noted that children are more affected by fasting than adults, supporting prior research emphasizing the importance of breakfast for young learners.
