Nathan López Bezerra
A study from the University of Arizona explores whether intermittent fasting could offer benefits for people undergoing addiction treatment, specifically related to opioids.
The research began when then-student David Duron, who has since earned a Ph.D., became curious about intermittent fasting’s potential effects on opioid treatment. The team proceeded with a study using mice, uncertain of what they would discover.
Their findings indicate that intermittent fasting could affect opioid treatment by improving its benefits and limiting negative side effects, including addiction.
John Streicher, Ph.D., the study’s corresponding author, explained this was the first research into intermittent fasting’s impact on opioids. For the study, mice were placed on a regimen where they could only eat during a six-hour window each day while receiving opioid injections for one week.
After the week, the fasting group showed significantly improved and longer-lasting pain relief, including in a post-surgical pain model. Despite the increased effectiveness, side effects did not increase.
Streicher noted this could have important implications for addiction. Opioids activate the brain’s reward circuit, which is the basis of addiction. Control mice, which ate freely, showed the expected reward response to morphine. However, the intermittent fasting mice showed no evidence of reward, seeming not to experience or learn to associate a euphoric effect with the drug.
While the research is early, the findings suggest people on opioid treatment might try intermittent fasting to potentially improve treatment and help reduce or eliminate the chance of addiction, should results translate to humans.
Other side effects also improved. Tolerance for opioids increased by as much as 100 percent in the non-fasting control group. The intermittent fasting group saw only about a 40 percent increase, meaning they did not need to increase their dosage as much.
Constipation, another common issue with opioids, was also reduced in the fasting mice, who recovered faster from the drugs. Streicher stated that together, these results suggest the side effects of opioids are reduced while efficacy is improved.
To continue, the team wants to conduct more studies and clinical trials to understand what is happening in the brain that affects opioid receptors and side effects. Streicher pointed out that unlike a new drug, which requires years of development and regulatory approval, a dietary change can be tested more quickly. The team is already working to set up a clinical trial based on these findings to have patients try an intermittent fasting diet during opioid pain therapy.
Intermittent fasting involves cycling between periods of eating and fasting. Common approaches include the 16:8 method, which entails fasting for 16 hours and eating within an 8-hour window each day. Other methods involve fasting for entire 24-hour periods one or two days a week. Proponents suggest it can help with weight management and metabolic health, though individuals should consult healthcare professionals before making significant dietary changes, especially those with underlying health conditions or who are on medication.
