If you want to help slow down your brain from ageing and increase your lifespan then follow diet patterns like intermittent fasting or restrict your calorie intake, suggests a study, led by researchers one of Indian-origin. A team of scientists at the Buck Institute for ‘Research on Ageing’ in California have found a role for a gene called OXR1 that is necessary for the lifespan extension seen with dietary restriction and is essential for healthy brain ageing.

OXR1 gene is an important brain resilience factor protecting against ageing and neurological diseases, said the researchers in the study, published in the journal Nature Communications. "When people restrict the amount of food that they eat, they typically think it might affect their digestive tract or fat buildup, but not necessarily about how it affects the brain," said Kenneth Wilson, postdoctoral student at the Institute.