SynthesisNutrients2021
Fasting Interventions for Stress, Anxiety and Depressive Symptoms: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis.
Synthesis in Nutrients, 2021. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. It is linked to 2 registered trials, which are not on this map. Cited by 38 papers, 3 of them syntheses that pooled it.
What it found
Each row is one number read from the abstract, on the scale the paper reported it, with its interval. Left of the dashed line favours the treatment, right favours the comparator. Under each row is the sentence it came from. New to these charts? A ten-minute tutorial.
The abstract states no effect estimate the extractor could read, or names no intervention and outcome on the map, so this paper lights no cell and moves no belief. It is still indexed, cited and linked below.
The trial behind it
Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
Multi-level Molecular Profiling of Stress Exposure Under Standardized Food Intake: A Clinical Study
Impact of Intermittent Fasting on the Mental Health of Perimenopausal Women
Who cites it
38 citing papers in PubMed, 3 syntheses or guidelines pooled it.
- Intermittent Fasting as a Potential Therapeutic Instrument for Major Depression Disorder: A Systematic Review of Clinical and Preclinical Studies.International journal of molecular sciences · 2023Pooled it
- Depression and lifestyle: Focusing on nutrition, exercise, and their possible relevance to molecular mechanisms.Psychiatry and clinical neurosciences · 2023Pooled it
- Religious fasting and its impacts on individual, public, and planetary health: Fasting as a "religious health asset" for a healthier, more equitable, and sustainable society.Frontiers in nutrition · 2022Pooled it
- Time-Restricted Feeding Alters Behavior in a Sex-Specific Manner in Mice With Neuropathic Pain.Molecular nutrition & food research · 2026Article
- Trajectories of mental distress and quality of life during Ramadan fasting in young Israeli Muslims are gender-specific.Scientific reports · 2026Article
- Four consecutive weeks of dawn-to-dusk intermittent fasting are associated with improved neuropsychiatric symptoms and neurocognitive functions among adults: a prospective cohort.BMC complementary medicine and therapies · 2026Article
- Mechanistic insights into the liver-brain axis during chronic liver disease.Nature reviews. Gastroenterology & hepatology · 2026Review
- Time-restricted feeding in adult mice improves mood-related behaviors in a sex-dependent manner.Behavioural brain research · 2026Article
- Mental Health, Sleep, and Physical Activity Among Young Saudi Women During Ramadan: A Comparative Cohort Study.Nature and science of sleep · 2026Article
- Article
- Association between ramadan fasting, sleep disturbances, fatigue, and academic performance among Iraqi university students: A cross-sectional study.BMC public health · 2025Article
- Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Anxiety and the Functional Connectivity of the Amygdala in Healthy Adults.Alpha psychiatry · 2025Article
- The Effects of Time-Restricted Feeding on Handgrip Strength, Vigilance, and Perceived Anxiety and Depression in Older Adults: A Comparative Study Between Active and Sedentary Populations.Health science reports · 2025Article
- Impact of Ramadan Fasting on Mental Health, Body Composition, Physical Activity, and Sleep Outcomes Among University Students.Healthcare (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Intermittent Fasting Improves Social Interaction and Decreases Inflammatory Markers in Cortex and Hippocampus.Molecular neurobiology · 2025Article
- Exploring mood and anxiety disturbances across Ramadan: a comparative study of Saudi medical students before, during, and after fasting.Frontiers in psychology · 2025Article
- The Association of Different Types of Intermittent Fasting with Mental Health: A Protocol for Systematic Review.International journal of preventive medicine · 2025Review
- Perspectives of older adults with memory decline participating in a prolonged nightly fasting (PNF) pilot study: A qualitative exploration.Journal of clinical and translational science · 2025Article
- Nutritional Modulation of the Gut-Brain Axis: A Comprehensive Review of Dietary Interventions in Depression and Anxiety Management.Metabolites · 2024Review
- Triangulation of Questionnaires, Qualitative Data and Natural Language Processing: A Differential Approach to Religious Bahá'í Fasting in Germany.Journal of religion and health · 2024Observational
Corrections and comments
PubMed lists nothing against this paper. Absence here is not a guarantee, only a check that was made.
Authors and funding
6 authors.
Funding
No grant is acknowledged in the PubMed record.
Abstract
backgroundFasting interventions have shown effectiveness in alleviating stress, anxiety and depressive symptoms. However, no quantitative analysis has been carried out thus far. The objective was to determine the effectiveness of fasting interventions on stress, anxiety and depression and if these interventions were associated with increased or decreased fatigue/energy.
methodsOverall, 11 studies and 1436 participants were included in the quantitative analyses.
resultsAfter limiting analyses to randomized controlled trials with low risk of bias, we found that fasting groups had lower anxiety (b = -0.508,
conclusionsThese results should be taken with a caveat. These results are preliminary and encouraging and fasting appears to be a safe intervention. Data are not sufficient to recommend one fasting intervention more than the others. No study was carried out in psychiatric populations and further trials should be carried out in these populations that may be good candidates for fasting interventions.
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What OpenQuestion holds
Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.