Intermittent fasting, a trendy method to lose weight and reduce inflammation, has been flagged as a serious health risk, the American Heart Association said Monday.
The findings, presented this week at the association's conference in Chicago, show that adults who follow an 8-hour time-restricted eating schedule have lower cardiovascular risk than adults who eat within a regular 12- to 16-hour window. The mortality rate from the disease was found to be 91% higher. Day.
Although it is important to note that these are preliminary results, Victor Wenze Zhong, senior author of the study and head of the Department of Epidemiology and Biostatistics, School of Medicine, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai, China, said: Ta.
“Although this study confirmed an association between an 8-hour eating window and cardiovascular death, this does not mean that time-restricted eating causes cardiovascular death,” Zhong said at the event. Ta.
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How was the study conducted and what else did it show?
The independent study, led by Zhong and his team, used data collected by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. 20,000 people were surveyed. The association reported tracking the dietary patterns of people with an average age of 49 who recorded at least two days of food intake within a year.
We then compared that data to CDC mortality data for the same period.
Approximately half of the participants identified themselves as women. More than 73% of participants self-identified as non-Hispanic white adults, 11% self-identified as Hispanic, and 8% self-identified as non-Hispanic black adults. Data were collected on an additional 6.9% who self-identified as another racial category.
Here are the details of the study results published by the American Heart Association:
- People who ate less than eight hours a day had a 91% higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease.
- An increased risk of cardiovascular death was also seen in people with heart disease and cancer.
- Eating for 8 to 10 hours a day was associated with a 66% higher risk of death from heart disease or stroke in people with cardiovascular disease.
- Intermittent fasting did not reduce the overall risk of death from any cause.
- For people living with cancer, eating 16 hours or more per day reduces the risk of cancer death.
Experts say more research is needed
This study did not consider all factors that affect overall health. Future research will aim to “examine the biological mechanisms underlying the association between time-restricted eating schedules and adverse cardiovascular disease outcomes,” the American Heart Association reported. We also need insight into whether the results are similar depending on where in the world the participants live.
According to the American Heart Association, research shows that intermittent fasting may improve “cardiometabolic health indicators such as blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels.”
“We were surprised. Our study reveals that there is no link between shorter meal times and longer lives, compared to the typical eating time range of 12 to 16 hours per day. ,” Zhong said.
But most important to this finding is the increased risk for people who already have heart disease or cancer.
Christopher Gardner, Director of Nutrition Research at Stanford University, said the study's findings “encourage a more careful and individualized approach to dietary recommendations, ensuring that dietary recommendations are closely aligned with individual health status and the latest scientific evidence.” We will make sure they match.”
Gardner said there was a need to look at the “nutritive value of the diet.” “Without this information, we cannot determine whether nutrient density could alternatively explain the findings that currently focus on meal time frames.”
As always, you should consult your doctor before considering any lifestyle changes.
As the American Heart Association notes, news releases and research summaries are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
