Nutritional Approaches to Managing Brain Fog: Insights Into Neuroinflammation, the Gut-brain Axis, and Sleep
Abstract
PURPOSE OF REVIEW: Brain fog is a common, poorly understood condition with symptoms like forgetfulness, mental slowness, difficulty concentrating, word-finding issues, and mental cloudiness. It disrupts daily life and reduces quality of life. The aim of this review was to examine the nutritional evidence that may influence the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms of brain fog; to assess both its potential benefits and current limitations in research, as well as to identify gaps in the literature to inform future studies. RECENT FINDINGS: Recent findings have increasingly highlighted the roles of neuroinflammation, dysregulation of the gut-brain axis, and poor sleep quality as key contributors to its pathophysiology. Diet and dietary components can influence brain fog by regulating inflammation, modulating gut microbiota, and affecting sleep quality. Anti-inflammatory diets contribute positively in this respect, whereas Western-style diets high in fat and sugar and rich in processed foods have a negative effect. The Mediterranean diet stands out in current research because its benefits are consistently documented across all three key domains, reducing neuroinflammation, supporting gut–brain communication, and improving sleep quality. By comparison, although ketogenic diets have plausible mechanistic support and encouraging in vitro and in vivo findings, the human evidence base remains limited, and outcomes are heterogeneous, precluding firm conclusions regarding efficacy…
Read the paper
Related studies
- Tryptophan Metabolism and Gut-Brain Homeostasis
- Rationale for a Multi-Factorial Approach for the Reversal of Cognitive Decline in Alzheimer’s Disease and MCI: A Review
- Prioritized Research for the Prevention, Treatment, and Reversal of Chronic Disease: Recommendations From the Lifestyle Medicine Research Summit
- Relationship between sleep disorders and gut dysbiosis: what affects what?
- The role of CLOCK gene in psychiatric disorders: Evidence from human and animal research
- Genetic, Transcriptome, Proteomic, and Epidemiological Evidence for Blood-Brain Barrier Disruption and Polymicrobial Brain Invasion as Determinant Factors in Alzheimer’s Disease
Go deeper in Evidence Hub
Evidence Hub adds a study data sheet (design, sample size, evidence level, key numbers), an AI summary and a chat grounded in the paper's text.