Fasting is defined as a voluntary abstinence from food and drink for specified periods. The document discusses the potential benefits of fasting for neurological disorders. It outlines different fasting regimens and the mechanisms by which fasting may provide benefits. Evidence is presented showing fasting can help conditions like epilepsy, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's disease in animal studies. Fasting induces insulin resistance in the brain as a normal physiological response to preserve brain function. More research is still needed but fasting holds promise as a multi-targeted metabolic therapy for neurological diseases.

1. A D E W I J A Y A M D – A P R I L 2 0 2 1
The Benefit of Fasting in
Neurological Disorders

2. Introduction
 Fasting:
- Trends in millenials
- Religion
Conventional medical practice
The role for neurological disorders ?

3. Definition
 Fasting: a voluntary abstinence from food and drink for
specified, recurring periods of time.
 Starvation: A state of chronic nutritional insufficiency
which is neither voluntary nor controlled, and which may
culminate in organ failure and death.
 ad libitum (“as desired”) feeding, which is characterized
by three or more meals per day in modern societies,
and—combined with a sedentary lifestyle—may increase
a person’s risk of developing a chronic neurological
disease
Phillips MC. Fasting as a therapy in neurological disease. Nutrients. 2019 Oct;11(10):2501.

4. Fasting Regimen
Phillips MC. Fasting as a therapy in neurological disease. Nutrients. 2019 Oct;11(10):2501.

5. Mechanism
Mattson, M.P.; Moehl, K.; Ghena, N.; Schmaedick, M.; Cheng, A. Intermittent Metabolic Switching, Neuroplasticity and Brain Health. Nat. Rev. Neurosci. 2018, 19, 63–80.

6. Evidence in Neurological Disorders
Phillips MC. Fasting as a therapy in neurological disease. Nutrients. 2019 Oct;11(10):2501.

7. Contraindication & Adverse Effects
Wilhelmi de Toledo, F.; Buchinger, A.; Burggrabe, H.; Hölz, G.; Kuhn, C.; Lischka, E.; Lischka, N.; Lützner, H.; May, W.; Ritzmann-Widderich, M.; et al. Fasting Therapy -
an Expert Panel Update of the 2002 Consensus Guidelines. Forsch Komplementmed. 2013, 20, 434–443.
Avoided by adequate
salt and water intake

8. Rare Adverse Effects
Extremely prolonged fasting periods
• Edema
• Severe hypokalemia
• Bowel obstruction
• Urate nephrolithiasis
• Ventricular arrythmias
• Death
Phillips MC. Fasting as a therapy in neurological disease. Nutrients. 2019 Oct;11(10):2501.

9. Pearls
 Fasting vs severe calorie restriction
 Exercise is not significantly limited by fasting;
moreover, exercising in the fasted state may actually
be an ideal method for decreasing fat mass while
retaining muscle
 Fasting-induced insulin resistance represents a
normal physiological adaptation that aims to
preserve brain function
 An increase in calorie intake on the feeding days, the
extra intake has still not compensated for the overall
calorie deficit induced by the fasting periods
Phillips MC. Fasting as a therapy in neurological disease. Nutrients. 2019 Oct;11(10):2501.

10. Summary
 Many diseases; especially neurological disorders
characterized by defective metabolism, on many
levels.
 Fasting is a simple, multi-targeted, and essentially
“metabolic” therapy with a healthy track record for
treating a variety of neurological diseases in animals,
it holds promise as a treatment for analogous
diseases in humans.
 Future studies needed

11. THANK YOU