Anna White had already tried a ketogenic diet, hoping to slow the progression of her Huntington’s disease. So when researchers asked her to try eating all her meals within an eight-hour window each day, she wasn’t sure it would work.
White was one of 20 participants in a small but closely watched new study—the first of its kind to find that meal timing may also help manage Huntington’s disease.
Huntington’s disease is a fatal, inherited brain disorder. A single genetic mutation causes nerve cells in the brain to break down over time, gradually robbing people of movement, clear thinking, and emotional control. There is currently no cure and no treatment that slows it down.
About 41,000 Americans have the disease today, with more than 200,000 at risk due to an inherited genetic mutation. Symptoms typically start between ages 30 and 50.
Limiting Meals to an 8-Hour Window
Participants chose a window that fit their existing routine, often late morning to early evening, and the schedule became second nature within one to two weeks, researchers said.
Researchers observed a slight improvement in disease severity scores, such as motor, cognition, and attention, a decrease in a blood marker linked to nerve cell damage, and better cellular energy production. They also observed better mitochondrial function, which is impaired in Huntington disease. Mitochondria power the brain with energy, allowing for better function.
Asking patients to eat within a limited time seemed counterintuitive, senior author Dr. Amie Hiller, a neurologist at Oregon Health & Science University, said in the press release. Research has shown that weight loss can accelerate brain damage.
But participants were able to keep their weight and showed signs that the intervention might actually benefit the disease.
A Possible Explanation, With a Caveat
This improvement is due to a variety of factors, according to Dr. Michael Aziz, a board-certified internal medicine physician at Lenox Hill Hospital in New York who was not involved in the study.
“It is a vital protein that is described as a miracle growth factor for the brain, and it promotes the growth and maintenance of neurons,” he said.
“That is probably how people with Huntington’s disease are able to revitalize their brains and maintain brain function,” he said. “Because they have new neurons forming, and nerve regeneration occurring.”
Timing Matters
“Eating more of our calories earlier in the day rather than late at night, may align better with our circadian biology and appears to have advantages for some metabolic outcomes,” Lauri Wright, a University of South Florida College of Public Health associate professor, and director of nutrition programs, and not involved in the study, told The Epoch Times.
Researchers are also interested in whether fasting may affect the way cells repair themselves, produce energy, and respond to stress, she said.
“These effects could potentially be relevant to brain health and neurodegenerative diseases such as Huntington’s,” she said. “However, much of this research is still early, and we do not yet have enough evidence in humans to recommend intermittent fasting as a way to prevent or slow neurodegenerative disease.”
How to Do Healthy Fasts
Intermittent fasting does not give people permission to ignore diet quality, Wright said.
People who follow a time-restricted eating schedule still should be mindful of macronutrients and be sure they are eating a balanced diet that prioritizes lean protein, fiber from vegetables, as well as hydration, Emily Feivor, a registered dietitian at Long Island Jewish Forest Hills Hospital in New York, and not involved in the study, told The Epoch Times.
It is imperative to maintain lean muscle mass and prevent unintentional weight loss, “especially in patients with Huntington’s,” she said.
The eating pattern has to be sustainable, Wright said.
“If time-restricted eating leaves someone excessively hungry, fatigued, dizzy, preoccupied with food, unable to exercise normally, or unintentionally losing weight or muscle, it is probably not the right approach for that person,” she said.
Feivor and Wright suggest starting with overnight fasts, which most people may already be doing without noticing. “If after dinner one is to stop eating, say at 6 p.m., and their first meal is breakfast at 7 a.m., this is already 13 hours of fasting without any disruption in the day,” Feivor said.
Fasting only works safely alongside good nutrition: “They [also] have to eat enough protein and make sure they do strength training so they do not lose muscle mass,” Aziz said.
For White, the appeal was how unremarkable the change felt. “I felt confident my weight was stable because I was monitoring it regularly,” she said.
For a condition where treatment options are scarce, researchers say even a small, low-risk intervention is worth chasing down.
