Many of us wish there was a simple solution to "brain power". Imagine that eating certain foods or even following a different eating plan would guarantee an increase in our intelligence - we would all do it! But this idea of ​​what we eat and when we eat it may not be as far from the truth as you might think. More attention has been paid to this aspect in recent studies, with different opinions among scientists. Say no to plagiarism. Get a custom-made essay on “Why Violent Video Games Shouldn't Be Banned”?Download an original essay In a TED Talk episode, neuroscientist Mark Mattson made a case for intermittent fasting (5:2 diet; eating fewer than 500 calories a day, for 2 days a week) has positive effects on the brain. Mattson says fasting leads to the release of molecules (called ketones), which are “good for the brain” because they provide an alternative energy source to the brain's nerve cells. Research has found that some of these molecules may be "more efficient than glucose", meaning more energy can be produced from them. Since energy is used by the brain to carry out its functions, having more energy is definitely a good thing! A mouse study also found that “intermittent fasting improves brain function” when comparing mice fed regularly with mice fed every other day. It turned out that the mice that “fasted” had better learning and memory skills than the regularly fed group. This further supports the fact that fasting can actually increase our brain power! But, as is always the case with science, it's not that simple. There are also studies with different points of view than that according to which fasting has positive effects on brain power. One such study was conducted on overweight women, who fasted for 2 days before testing their brain and cognitive (thinking) abilities. The study concluded that fasting “had no effect” on these areas. In addition to this, a study was also completed on male athletes participating in Ramadan fasting (daily fasting from dawn to dusk for the entire ninth month of the Islamic calendar, including all food and drink). It was found that verbal and visual learning and memory were impaired and there was “no significant effect of fasting on visual learning and memory. Several factors may have contributed to the negative impact, including reduced attention and concentration due to hunger-related distractions and increasing dehydration throughout the day. Please note: this is just an example. Get a custom paper from our expert writers now. Get a Custom Essay Unfortunately, different research is inconclusive about what the short- and long-term effects of fasting are on the brain, but there is certainly evidence to suggest a connection between fasting and brain power. Hopefully, as research continues, we will learn the effect of fasting on brain power and use it to our advantage. Let's hope it's not just a theory and that we will be able to starve in the future!