Huntington’s disease is a genetic disorder that currently has no known cure, but a simple adjustment to when people eat could offer a new way to slow the progression of the inherited condition. A research team, from Oregon Health & Science University, found that a form of intermittent fasting was safe for those diagnosed and linked to improvements in several measures of the condition. "One of the most encouraging findings was that time-restricted eating appeared to reduce a key marker of neurodegeneration while remaining safe and sustainable for participants," Russell Wells, the study's lead author, told Newsweek.
"The results suggest this simple dietary approach may help protect brain cells, but larger clinical trials are needed to confirm whether it can slow disease progression." The findings, published in Nature Metabolism, are the first from a clinical study testing time-restricted eating in people with Huntington's disease, which affects movement, thinking and mood over time. While the condition cannot currently be cured, treatments are available to help manage symptoms. The 12-week study enrolled 20 adults with early-stage Huntington's disease.
Participants limited food consumption to a daily six-to-eight-hour window, selecting eating schedules that suited their routines, typically from late morning to early evening. Researchers encouraged participants to maintain their usual calorie intake and closely monitored their weight and overall safety throughout the trial. The approach appeared to be well tolerated.
Participants followed the eating schedule on average more than five days each week, reported few side effects and maintained both body weight and lean muscle mass. The research team had initially been uncertain whether intermittent fasting would be safe in people with Huntington's disease because unintended weight loss is already a concern for many patients and a primary symptom. The study itself had grown out of earlier research in animal models which suggested that intermittent fasting can activate cellular pathways that help protect brain cells.
Researchers observed several positive changes during the trial. Participants improved by an average of 0.5 points on the composite Unified Huntington's Disease Rating Scale, a widely used measure of disease severity. In people with early-stage Huntington's disease, the score typically declines by around one point each year.
The team also found that blood levels of neurofilament light, a biomarker released when nerve cells are damaged, fell by an average of 13 percent. In Huntington's disease, these levels would normally be expected to rise over time as the condition progresses. The study further found improvements in cellular energy production, providing additional evidence that changes in eating patterns could influence biological processes linked to the disease.
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