Does Intermittent Fasting make you smarter? Can not eating improve your cognition?
There are many physiological adaptations your body goes through while fasting. Such as increased growth hormone, maintenance of lean muscle, cellular cleansing and neurogenesis.
Fasting has been practiced by many intellectuals of the past, such as Socrates, Plato, Pythagoras, Benjamin Franklin and Mark Twain.
In terms of cognition, fasting increases BDNF, that supports cognitive functioning and protects against neurodegenerative disease.
Fasting also increases adrenaline and cortisol production that gives us more energy and sharpens our focus. I personally feel mentally sharp and honed while in a fasted state.
So what's the conclusion?
Can Intermittent Fasting make you smarter and more intelligent?
Not directly - fasting facilitates a proper neural environment for optimal brain health and cognitive functioning.
But the secret isn't as much in the hardware but in how you use it.
Ergo, you have to still learn new skills, improve your ability to focus, increase your knowledge and put it all into use.
Which is what my channel is all about.
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Siim
Interesting article, would love to see some links to peer reviewed research! Im starting to post neuroscience related content too. Great to see a budding community! You can check out my most recent article on memory engrams if interested: https://steemit.com/neuroscience/@ngans/what-really-is-a-memory-bio-physical-representations-of-memories-and-implanting-fake-memories-on-command
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https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8W6ynF4i9KgHey! Interesting article. Are there any side-effects of fasting, though? What's the scientific literature behind this?