Intermittent Fasting Repairs Broken Nerves

Intermittent fasting consists of alternating a period of fasting followed by a period of food intake – both having a duration variable depending on the program. For example, the food intake can be spread out for eight hours, and the fast for sixteen hours. Followers of this practice lend it a thousand and one virtues, sometimes not scientifically verified. However, it is a subject of great interest to scientists and some benefits of which have been rigorously analyzed.

The latest is not about weight or inflammatory diseases, but about nerve regeneration. In effect, a team ofImperial College, in Londonobserved that fasting helps promote repair of the sciatic nerve after injury in laboratory mouse. But this is only possible with the help of a third protagonist: the microbiota.

Healing the nerves of mice through fasting

Nerves are part of the peripheral nervous system and innervate the whole body to carry information from the extremities toto the brain. Composed ofaxonsthe extension of neurons, they regenerate quite slowly following damage. Thus, a nerve injury is quite difficult to treat outside of the surgery, which is only feasible for a minority of patients. But it has been shown that lifestyle changes, such as sports practice, can improve nerve regeneration. And now, intermittent fasting too.

” Intermittent fasting has previously been linked in other studies to healing and the growth of new neurons, but our study is the first to explain precisely how fasting can promote the healing nerves », explains Simone Di Giovanni, neuroscientist at theImperial College.

IPA, a key molecule secreted by the microbiota

Indeed, scientists from theImperial College, in London, unearthed a fairly detailed mechanism. Here it is. Fasting mice have high blood levels ofacid indole-3-propionic acid (IPA), it is this molecule which increases nerve regeneration. It is not an organ that secretes it, but Clostridium sporogenesa bacterium present in theintestinal microbiota.

” When IPA cannot be produced by these bacteria and is almost absent from serum, regeneration is impaired. This suggests that the IPA generated by these bacteria has the ability to heal and regenerate damaged nerves. », continues Simone Di Giovanni. The length of regenerated axons is about 50% greater in mice that fasted compared to others that ate continuously. When IPA is administered orally to rodentsthe benefits on nerve regeneration appear after two to three weeks.

Questions remain unanswered at the end of these promising observations: are they valid in human beings? Can IPA help in the regeneration of other nerve structures, such as the spinal cord ? Can the IPA have an effect within the framework of a traditional diet, without a period of fasting? Questions that scientists will probably try to answer.