<aside> <img src="/icons/light-bulb_blue.svg" alt="/icons/light-bulb_blue.svg" width="40px" /> “The mental action or process of acquiring knowledge and understanding through thought, experience, and the senses.”.

To put it simply, cognition is your brainpower!

Many might assume that in the absence of incoming food, your brain would fall limp, but it’s actually quite the opposite, and the research behind this fact is extensive.

Fasting can be seen as a healthy type of stress for the brain, just like exercise. Under good stress, your brain induces a stress response, producing a number of molecules. These include orexin-A and norepinephrine, the effect of these being a heightened sense of awareness, sharpened senses, and increased focus and memory.

Fasting also increases levels of ketone bodies, including beta-hydroxybutyrate (BHB), which have the capacity to supply up to 75% of the brain’s energy needs.[19] BHB acts as a potent fuel source for the brain when glucose levels run low, as it can easily cross the blood-brain barrier.

Now the kicker. Stressful stimuli, like fasting and exercises, are like challenges for your brain, and such challenges increase the level of certain neurotrophic factors, such as BDNF.

In basic terms, BDNF helps protect your brain cells, aids in producing new brain cells and facilitates the neurons in your brain wiring together, which is what learning is.[20]

Not only does BDNF boost ‘brainpower’ and memory, but it’s also associated with improved mood and increased productivity.

So, what is the effect of fasting on BDNF levels? A 2% increase? A 5% increase? A study was performed to find out the effect of fasting during Ramadan on BDNF levels, and after just 14 days, participants showed a 25% increase in BDNF, an already significant jump, but it didn’t stop there.

The full 29 days through the trial, participants displayed a 47% increase in BDNF! The results of this study clearly display the positive correlation between fasting and BDNF, which is especially staggering given the short time span of the procedure.[21]

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