From Ramadan to Lent, fasting is as old as faith itself. But in recent years, millions of Americans have embraced intermittent fasting for better health. Some even claim it sharpens the mind.
For Jennifer Robbins in Michigan, who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, intermittent fasting has been life-changing.
"My blood sugar started to stabilize, and I started seeing much more weight loss more quickly," Robbins said.
She also lost 74 pounds, and she's kept it off for nearly four years.
"I feel better when I intermittent fast. I feel like I have more energy. I feel more awake and alive," she said.
New research from the Psychological Bulletin suggests her experience isn't unusual. It says fasting can improve body chemistry and metabolism.
But the mental health benefits are a little more complicated, according to Dr. Brittany Hammond, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Henry Ford Health.
"It's not a huge difference. Physiologic benefits, fasting, there's some benefits there. Cognitive benefits, not so much a factor," Hammond said.
"When they looked at kids, their attention and focus and their memory, those factors, all the cognitive performance was worse when they were fasting," Hammond said.
The research reinforced that children's brains need regular fuel, glucose, to think clearly and regulate emotions.
"They're not just little adults. They're they're growing. Their metabolism is different and their brain function is different. Their brains are not fully developed. It's still under construction," Hammond said.
For adults, fasting's biggest challenge may simply be timing. Among study participants, performance in cognitive tasks dropped in the afternoon.
'The two to three o'clock kind of slump in your focus. And what they found is that if you're fasting during that period, it actually kind of worsens it a little bit," Hammond said.
For Robbins, that hasn't been a problem. She eats from 2 p.m. to 7 p.m. and says it's sustainable. She's enjoying the weight loss and stable blood sugar with no cognitive slump.
"I found great benefit in you know, maintaining weight, losing weight, keeping my blood sugar on a more even keel," she said.
Experts say intermittent fasting isn't for everyone, especially children or those with medical conditions. The best advice is to check with your doctor before you skip the next meal.
This story was originally published by Keenan Smith with the Scripps News Group in Detroit.
