Researchers at Zhengzhou University have found that intermittent fasting can reduce chronic pain and improve memory by altering the gut microbiome. The findings were published in the journal Brain, Behavior, and Immunity, reports infohub.kz.
Co-author Kenji Hashimoto explained in an interview with Medical Xpress that the study stemmed from a long-standing interest in how the gut-brain axis influences chronic pain and associated cognitive and affective disorders.
In experiments on mice, the team discovered that temporary food deprivation stimulates the growth of bacteria that reduce neuroinflammation in the brain. Tests were conducted on mice experiencing chronic pain due to injuries, inflammation, or other controlled conditions. Over 38 days, some mice alternated between 24 hours of fasting and 24 hours of unrestricted eating, while others had constant access to food.
Hashimoto noted that they assessed pain sensitivity, memory, anxiety-like behavior, intestinal barrier integrity, neuroinflammation, gut microbiota composition, and circulating metabolites. As a result, mice with chronic pain on the intermittent fasting regimen showed reduced sensitivity to touch and heat, improved ability to perform simple tasks, and decreased anxiety-like behavior. Fasting also reduced neuroinflammation and altered gut microbiota composition.
Specifically, the abundance of Alistipes finegoldii bacteria increased in the guts of fasting mice. When this bacterium was added to the diet of other mice, it produced analgesic effects and cognitive improvements similar to those observed in fasting mice.
According to Hashimoto, these findings may open new avenues for non-pharmacological interventions, microbiota-based therapies, metabolite supplementation, and strategies for chronic pain and its associated neuropsychiatric comorbidities.