YES –
Nov. 14, 2025 – For Jennifer Robbins of Troy, who was diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, intermittent fasting has been life-changing.
“My blood sugar started to stabilize, and I started seeing much more weight loss more quickly,” Robbins said.
She also lost 74 pounds, and she’s kept it off for nearly four years.
“I feel better when I intermittent fast. I feel like I have more energy. I feel more awake. But, the benefits mentally are a little more complicated, according to Dr. Brittany Hammond, child and adolescent psychiatrist at Henry Ford Health.
“It’s not a huge difference. Physiologic benefits, fasting, there’s some benefits there. Cognitive benefits, not so much a factor,” Hammond said.
“When they looked at kids, their attention and focus and their memory, those factors, all the cognitive performance was worse when they were fasting,” Hammond said.
The research reinforced that children’s brains need regular fuel, glucose, to think clearly and regulate emotions.
“They’re not just little adults. They’re they’re growing. Their metabolism is different and their brain function is different. Their brains are not fully developed. It’s still under construction,” Hammond said.
