The effect of dietary interventions on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels in adults: a systematic review of clinical trials.
Level 1 - systematic review of randomized trials
Systematic review of clinical trials
PubMed 41519822 · doi:10.1186/s40795-025-01174-3
What was done
A systematic review following PRISMA 2020 guidelines was conducted across PubMed, Web of Science, and Scopus through April 2024. The authors included clinical trials evaluating the impact of dietary interventions on brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) concentrations in adults. Risk of bias and study quality were assessed using Cochrane methodology.
What was found
From an initial pool of 7,633 records, 13 clinical trials were included. The abstract provides no quantitative effect sizes, confidence intervals, or p-values. Directionally, intermittent fasting, calorie restriction, and ketogenic diets generally led to increases in circulating BDNF levels, whereas other evaluated dietary regimens showed minimal, negligible, or inconsistent effects.
Why it matters
Circulating BDNF plays key roles in neuroplasticity, cognitive function, and metabolic homeostasis. This review synthesizes clinical trial evidence showing that metabolic-shift diets (such as fasting, calorie restriction, or ketosis) appear more effective at modulating BDNF than generalized dietary patterns.
Limits
The abstract reports qualitative summaries without meta-analytic pooling, effect sizes, or participant counts. The evidence base is limited to 13 heterogeneous trials with varied dietary protocols, exposure durations, and baseline health statuses, and findings for diets outside of fasting or ketosis remain inconclusive.
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