Dietary restriction as a potential neuroprotective intervention: a narrative review of its impact on neuroinflammation across neurodegenerative diseases and other neurological disorders.

Dietary restriction (DR) involving chronic or intermittent calorie/nutrient reduction without malnutrition, delays neurological disease progression. Decades of research across in vitro models, animal studies, and clinical trials provide preclinical evidence for a potential role of DR in modulating multiple mechanisms underlying CNS disorders. Interactions between caloric intake, meal frequency, diet composition, and the gut microbiome regulate specific metabolic pathways governing cellular, tissue, and organ homeostasis as well as inflammatory processes during neurodegenerative and neurological diseases. In this review, we synthesize evidence on the role of DR in modulating neuroinflammation and related mechanisms within a selected set of neurodegenerative and neurological disorders, aims to provide a consolidated evidence base and perspective on the potential of DR as an adjunctive strategy for the future therapeutic investigations.