A new study suggests that when people eat may play a role in protecting brain health as they age.
The study found that limiting meals and snacks to an eight to nine-hour window each day may help preserve certain thinking and problem-solving abilities, according to preliminary research
from Rutgers University researchers presented at NUTRITION 2026, the annual meeting of the American Society for Nutrition.Researchers found that women ages 50 to 79 who are overweight or have obesity who restricted their eating to an eight- to nine-hour window each day showed greater improvements on some cognitive tests than those who followed the same reduced-calorie diet but ate over a typical 12-hour period.
The findings have not yet undergone the full peer review
process required for publication in a scientific journal. Researchers cautioned that the trial was small, involving just 47 participants, and said larger studies are needed to confirm the results.
Still, the study adds to growing research suggesting that when people eat, not just what they eat, may influence long-term health, including brain function.
What the study found
The six-month clinical trial followed the 47 women ages 50 to 79. All participants were instructed to reduce their daily calorie intake by about 500 calories.
Twenty-six women were also asked to consume all of their food within less than nine hours each day, typically between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. Their average eating window was 8.2 hours, compared with 12.3 hours among participants who continued eating across a more typical schedule.
By the end of the study, both groups had lost an average of about 15 pounds.
However, women in the time-restricted eating group performed significantly better on tests measuring spatial planning and problem-solving. They also tended to make fewer errors on memory and learning tests, although those differences were not statistically significant. Researchers found no meaningful differences between the groups on reaction time or multitasking tests.
Researchers say meal timing may provide added benefits
"Losing weight alone will ward off some of the aging-related cognitive decline, and these data suggest that there may be additional benefits if you stop eating 4 hours prior to going to sleep and reduce food intake to 8-9 hours per day," lead investigator Sue Shapses, a professor at Rutgers University and Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, said.
Shapses said the cognitive improvements were modest but suggested participants may have been better able to remember information needed for everyday tasks while making fewer mistakes related to memory, attention and problem-solving.
Researchers said future studies will examine why meal timing could influence brain health. Potential explanations include effects on circadian rhythms, inflammation, metabolism and the body's nutrient-sensing pathways.
Wendy Hall, a professor of nutritional sciences at King’s College London who was not involved in the research, told The Guardian the findings are preliminary and that larger peer-reviewed studies are needed to determine whether the cognitive improvements are clinically meaningful.
Reporter Anthony Thompson can be reached at ajthompson@usatodayco.com, or on X @athompsonUSAT
This article originally appeared on USA TODAY: This eating habit could help boost brain health, study finds
