Intermittent Fasting Doesn't Affect Mental Ability, Review Finds

Key Takeaways

Short-term fasting doesn’t appear to have any impact on thinking ability

Researchers found no cognitive impact from fasts of 12 hours or less

However, children are affected more by fasting than adults

WEDNESDAY, Nov. 5, 2025 (HealthDay News) — 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 Nov. 3 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 psyc