Sarah Regan, the Spirituality & Relationships Editor for mindbodygreen and a registered yoga instructor, reported on a new study on April 19, 2026. The research explores a potential new benefit of intermittent fasting: aiding in addiction treatment.
Researchers from the University of Arizona conducted a study to see if an intermittent fasting (IF) regimen could affect opioid treatment and addiction. The project began with the curiosity of a then-student, David Duron, who now holds a Ph.D.
The team used mice for their research, not knowing what they might find. The mice were placed on a six-hour fasting regimen, meaning they could only eat within a six-hour window each day, while undergoing opioid injection treatment for one week.
According to the study’s corresponding author, John Streicher, Ph.D., this was the first time the impact of intermittent fasting on opioids had been studied. At the end of the week, they found that pain relief had improved and lasted longer in the fasting group compared to the control group. This included a post-surgical pain model.
A key finding was that despite the increased pain relief, side effects did not increase. Streicher explained this could have important implications for addiction. Opioids activate the brain’s reward circuit, which is the basis of addiction.
In the control mice, which could eat freely, the researchers saw the expected reward response to morphine. However, the mice on the intermittent fasting schedule showed no evidence of that reward. They did not appear to experience the drug’s euphoric effect or did not learn to associate the drug with that feeling.
The study also found that other side effects were improved. Tolerance for the opioids increased by as much as 100% in the control group, but only by about 40% in the IF group. This means the fasting mice did not need to increase their dosage as much.
Another common issue, constipation, was also reduced in the IF mice, and they recovered from the drugs’ effects faster. Streicher noted that given what is known about IF’s effects on gut health, these findings make sense.
Streicher summarized that the results together suggest the side effects of opioids are reduced while their efficacy is improved. He stated this combination is the ideal outcome for any treatment.
The research team now aims to conduct more studies and clinical trials to understand exactly what is happening in the brain to affect opioid receptors and side effects. Streicher pointed out a advantage of this approach: unlike a new drug, which requires years of development and regulatory approval, a dietary change can be tested relatively quickly.
The team is already working to set up a clinical trial based on these findings. The trial would involve patients on an intermittent fasting diet to observe the effects on their experience with opioid pain therapy.
Intermittent fasting is a dietary pattern that has been studied for various other health effects, from influencing metabolism to affecting inflammatory pathways in the body. Its accessibility is often noted, as individuals can adopt the practice without medication. The growing body of research continues to examine how timing of food intake interacts with fundamental biological processes, which may explain its wide-ranging observed effects on different health conditions.
