Systematic review and meta-analysis of dietary restriction in Alzheimer's mouse models

This systematic review and meta-analysis synthesized evidence from 23 studies on dietary restriction regimens in Alzheimer's disease mouse models. The interventions included caloric restriction, intermittent fasting, and fasting-mimicking diet. The scope was to evaluate effects on cognitive function, pathological markers, recognition memory, and neuroinflammation.

Caloric restriction demonstrated the most consistent benefits across outcomes. Intermittent fasting improved recognition memory but exacerbated neuroinflammation in 5xFAD models. The fasting-mimicking diet showed the largest effect size among the regimens. However, pooled effect sizes and confidence intervals were not reported, limiting quantitative assessment.

The authors noted model-dependent efficacy, particularly for intermittent fasting, and emphasized that future interventions should be tailored. The review supports a precision nutrition framework for Alzheimer's disease, but findings are derived from preclinical models and require validation in human studies. No limitations were explicitly reported in the input.

Clinicians should interpret these results cautiously, as they are based on animal models and not directly translatable to human patients. The evidence underscores the need for personalized dietary approaches in Alzheimer's research.