Cognitive or Emotional Improvement through Intermittent Fasting? Reflections on Hype and Reality

Intermittent fasting has received increasing scientific and public attention in recent years. The study by Hromatko et al. investigated whether time-restricted feeding, a form of intermittent fasting, improves cognitive performance and subjective-emotional well-being. This commentary discusses the most important results and relates them to previous studies on this topic. A major limitation of this new trial is its relatively short duration of only two months. I then link the idea of improving mental functions in healthy people to the discussion of cognitive or neuroenhancement. Finally, a current example of the communication of intermittent fasting in the media is discussed, which attracted public attention with a surprising message.