Intermittent fasting shouldn't dull an adult's ability to think, remember and problem-solve, a new evidence review says.
Mental abilities like memory recall, decision making and responsiveness aren't hampered by skipping a meal or fasting for a half-day, according to an analysis published Monday in the journal Psychological Bulletin.
"Our main finding was that there is generally no consistent evidence that short-term fasting impaired mental performance," said senior researcher David Moreau, an associate professor of psychology at the University of Auckland in New Zealand.
"Individuals who fasted performed remarkably similarly to those who had recently eaten, suggesting cognitive function remains stable in the absence of food intake," Moreau said in a news release.
For the evidence review, researchers analyzed data from 71 prior studies involving nearly 3,500 people.
