This podcast examines the common belief that fasting negatively impacts cognitive function. The podcast discusses a meta-analysis of 63 studies that found no meaningful difference in cognitive performance between healthy, fasted adults and satiated adults, supporting the feasibility of short-term fasting. The authors caution, however, that children and adolescents may exhibit reduced cognitive performance when skipping meals, likely due to their still-developing brains. Overall, the data support the idea that fasting practices such as intermittent fasting (IF) and time-restricted eating (TRE) are safe for the average adult’s brain health, contradicting conventional wisdom.