Research from the University of Arizona is exploring whether intermittent fasting could aid in addiction treatment. The study was initiated by then-student David Duron, who was curious about fasting’s effects on opioid treatment.
The research team used mice as subjects. The mice were placed on a six-hour eating window each day while receiving opioid injections for one week. The corresponding author, John Streicher, explained this was the first study of its kind on fasting and opioids.
At the end of the week, the fasting mice showed improved pain relief that lasted longer, including in a post-surgical pain model. However, the increased efficacy did not come with increased side effects.
Streicher pointed to a key finding regarding addiction. Opioids activate the brain’s reward circuit. The control mice, which ate freely, showed the expected reward response to morphine. The intermittent fasting mice, however, showed no evidence of that reward or of learning to associate the drug with a euphoric effect.
The findings suggest intermittent fasting could both improve opioid treatment and help reduce the chance of addiction, should results translate to humans. Other side effects were also affected.
Tolerance to the opioids increased by about 100% in the control group. The fasting group saw only about a 40% increase, meaning they did not need to raise their dosage as much. The fasting mice also experienced less constipation and recovered faster from the drugs.
Streicher stated that together, the results suggest opioid side effects are reduced while efficacy is improved. The team now aims to conduct more studies and clinical trials to understand the brain mechanisms affecting opioid receptors and side effects.
Streicher noted that unlike a new drug, 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 intermittent fasting during opioid pain therapy.
The broader context of this research fits into ongoing investigations into non-pharmaceutical interventions for addiction management. Other lifestyle and dietary approaches are being studied for their potential to alter brain chemistry and behavior, offering possible complementary paths to traditional treatment methods.
