Quick Facts

• Mice on 18-hour fasting showed no reward response to opioids while maintaining pain relief benefits
• Fasting group experienced 40% tolerance increase versus 100% in control mice during one-week study
• Researchers plan human trials since dietary changes can be tested immediately unlike new drugs

Intermittent fasting could help prevent opioid addiction while maintaining pain relief, according to groundbreaking research from the University of Arizona.

The study examined mice on a six-hour eating window during opioid treatment for one week. The fasting group showed no evidence of reward response while control mice exhibited expected pleasure-seeking behaviors linked to addiction.

Pain relief improved and lasted longer in the fasting group, including after surgery. The intermittent fasting mice also had less constipation and recovered faster from the drugs.

Tolerance rose dramatically in control mice by up to 100%. The fasting group experienced only a 40% increase in tolerance.

“All of these results together suggests side effects are reduced and efficacy is improved, which is exactly what you want,” said John Streicher, the study’s corresponding author.

This marks the first research examining intermittent fasting’s impact on opioids. The findings come as approximately 105,000 people died from drug overdose in 2023, with nearly 80,000 deaths involving opioids.

Streicher emphasized the approach’s accessibility compared to pharmaceutical development. “Unlike a new drug which requires 10 years, millions of dollars, and approval by the FDA, something like a dietary change can be tested almost immediately.”

The research team is already planning clinical trials to test fasting’s effects on patients receiving opioid-based pain treatment. Opioid receptors exist in both pain-relief circuits and reward circuits in the brain, explaining how the same medication can provide therapeutic benefits while creating addiction risk.

The study used mice with access to food for six hours daily and only water for the remaining 18 hours. Researchers caution the findings are preliminary and limited to animal models.

Provisional CDC data shows drug overdose deaths decreased 23.3% in 2024 to 80,499 people. Despite improvements, an average of 217 people still died daily from opioid overdoses in 2023.

Read more: Study Explores How Intermittent Fasting Could Help Addiction Treatment