A small clinical trial suggests that limiting food intake to fewer hours each day could provide modest cognitive benefits for older women beyond weight loss alone.The study followed 47 women aged 50-79 with overweight or obesity over six months.

Participants were instructed to reduce daily calorie intake by 500 calories, with 26 also adopting time-restricted eating (eating within an 8-9 hour window).

Both groups lost similar weight (average of ~15 pounds), but the time-restricted group showed significant improvements in spatial planning and problem-solving tests.They also made fewer memory-related errors, though these results did not reach statistical significance.

Researchers noted that stopping eating four hours before sleep and shortening the eating window to 8-9 hours daily may offer cognitive advantages over the typical 12-hour eating window.

The findings, presented at the American Society for Nutrition conference, highlight potential interactions between circadian rhythms, inflammation, metabolic health, and nutrient sensing pathways.While the study is preliminary due to its small size, it suggests meal timing could influence brain function in aging populations.