Does Lion’s Mane Break A Fast?

Lion’s Mane Mushroom is undoubtedly one of the most effective nootropics in existence today. When used as a high-potency extract, Lion’s Mane Mushroom brings about profound changes in brain structure, which in turn result in long-term improvements in memory, focus, learning, and overall brain function. It’s little wonder then that the best Lion’s Mane Mushroom supplements are quickly becoming some of the most popular brain supplements in the world.

One reason that people enjoy taking Lion’s Mane every day is that it increases cognitive performance and mental energy without breaking a fast.Whether it’s added to black coffee (more on this later) or simply taken as part of a comprehensive daily nootropic stack, Lion’s Mane appear to offer performance enhancing benefits without conferring any calories, which means it wont break a fast.

With intermittent fasting becoming increasingly popular, more and more people are using supplements like Lion’s Mane which help you stay focused without breaking a fast and without delivering a significant amount of. In the context of intermittent and prolonged fasting, nootropics really come into their own as the thing people sturggle with most while fasting is focus and mental energy.

But is this really true?

Does Lion’s Mane Mushroom break a fast? Can you take Lion’s Mane Mushroom while fasting? Is it good to take Lion’s Mane while fasting?

To answer these questions, we need to take a closer look at what Lion’s Mane Mushroom is and how it works.

What does Lion’s Mane Mushroom do?

Lion’s Mane Mushroom is one of the most interesting nootropics in existence. The reason Lion’s Mane is so interesting to us is that it is one of the few natural nootropics to produce lasting, positive changes in physical brain structure.

Lion’s Mane primarily works by increasing neurotrophic factors in the brain. Specifically, Lion’s Mane is known to increase the expression of Nerve Growth Factor, or NGF.

NGF controls the growth, proliferation, maintenance, and differentiation of neurons. In other words, NGF controls everything about how your brain cells are made, how they grow, and how they develop into specific brain cell structures.

Higher levels of NGF leads to greater nerve cell production and more efficient neuron maintenance. Having consistently higher NGF levels is known to increase neuron density over time. Conversely, lower levels of NGF are associated with impaired neuron repair and reduced neuron density.

Obviously, the ramifications for this on cognitive function are huge.

More neurons means more raw processing power, better memory function, and better cognitive performance over the long-term.

Will Lion’s Mane Mushroom supplements break a fast?

So, it’s clear why so many people are using Lion’s Mane Mushroom supplements; this medicinal mushroom is one of the only natural nootropics in existence known to significantly increase NGF release in the brain.

But will Lion’s Mane break a fast?

Taking Lion’s Mane Mushroom supplements will not break a fast, as the bioactive compounds concentrated in an extract do not confer enough calories to break a fast and halt autophagy.

However, consuming the actual mushroom itself is a different story. While Lion’s Mane Mushrooms themselves are very low calorie, they do contain both protein and carbs (much of which is fiber). As such, they will technically break a fast.

That said, Lion’s Mane is one fo the better foods to break a fast with since they are relatively low in calories, high in fiber, and extremely nutritious.

What’s more, Lion’s Mane is known to mildly suppress appetite, in no small part due to the high fiber content. So if you’re fasting for weight loss or for autophagy, Lion’s Mane is definitely a food you want to consider introducing!

Does Mushroom Coffee Break A Fast?

One of the ways in which Lion’s Mane is most commonly used is in coffee. That’s right, I said coffee!

Lots of people are adding specifically-created Lion’s Mane Mushroom supplements to their morning cup of coffee in order to

Many people find that Lion’s Mane Mushroom coffee curbs their appetite while waiting for their next meal. Since Lion’s Mane Mushroom extracts are typically zero calorie, this means it leaves you in a fasted state while also suppressing appetite.

Brian Johnson, PhD

Brian Johnson is current Editor of Vagarights.com and a long-time writer for VAGA. A former psychologist, Brian is passionate about improving mental health and finding ways to stave off cognitive decline. He is an expert on nootropics, cognitive enhancement and biohacking more broadly. You can see his work on Google scholar.