Restricted eating hours may reduce cognitive decline
A pilot study suggests that restricting eating to a nine-hour window may help reduce cognitive decline in older women. Participants who practiced time-restricted eating showed improvements in spatial planning, problem-solving, and memory tasks compared to those with longer eating windows.
Why it matters
This research offers a potential low-cost, non-pharmacological lifestyle intervention for maintaining cognitive health in aging populations.
Restricting eating to a nine-hour window may help stave off cognitive decline in older age, researchers say.
Researchers found early evidence that time-restricted eating might offer cognitive benefits for older women who are overweight or obese.
The pilot study, led by Professor Sue Shapses, a nutritional scientist at Rutgers University, compared women who ate within a nine-hour window to those who ate over a longer period.
Though weight loss alone can slow cognitive decline, Prof Shapses believes the timing of meals may offer additional protection.
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Shapses said there may be "additional benefits" for people who do not eat outside an eight- to nine-hour window, and stop eating four hours before going to sleep.
All participants in the study cut 500 calories from their daily intake over six months.
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