New Research Highlights Potential Heart Risks From Intermittent Fasting
Intermittent fasting has become a popular form of food consumption in recent years. People across the country with various health and fitness goals have taken to eating all their meals within a certain window during the day. But a new study seemingly illuminates some troubling issues possibly associated with intermittent fasting.
The American Heart Association conducted a review of data from the U.S.' annual National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES) from 2003 through 2018 and compared it to data about people who died in the U.S. from 2003 through 2019 from the CDC's National Death Index database. While past studies have found that time-restricted eating improves several cardiometabolic health measures like blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels, the team's findings here weren't as promising for intermittent fasters.
Overall, the analysis found that people who ate all of their food across less than eight hours each day had a 91-percent higher risk of death due to cardiovascular disease. People with cardiovascular disease who stuck to restricted eating schedule additionally had a 66-percent higher risk of death from heart attack or stroke. In the end, the scientists found that time-restricted eating didn't reduce the overall risk of death from any cause, while an eating period of more than 16 hours each day was associated with a lower risk of cancer death among cancer patients.
“Restricting daily eating time to a short period, such as eight hours per day, has gained popularity in recent years as a way to lose weight and improve heart health,” study author Dr. Victor Wenze Zhong said in a statement. "However, the long-term health effects of time-restricted eating, including risk of death from any cause or cardiovascular disease, are unknown."
"We were surprised to find that people who followed an eight-hour, time-restricted eating schedule were more likely to die from cardiovascular disease," Zhong added. "Even though this type of diet has been popular due to its potential short-term benefits, our research clearly shows that, compared with a typical eating time range of 12 to 16 hours per day, a shorter eating duration was not associated with living longer."
He implored people, "particularly those with existing heart conditions or cancer," to "be aware of the association between an eight-hour eating window and increased risk of cardiovascular death."
Zhong noted, however, that these findings implied correlation and not causation. "Although the study identified an association between an 8-hour eating window and cardiovascular death, this does not mean that time-restricted eating caused cardiovascular death," he pointed out.
Related: Intermittent Fasting May Help Those With Alzheimer's, Study Finds
Critics of the study have pointed out that it apparently didn't ask patients whether they were following a time-restricted diet or their food consumption habits simply panned out that way. The AHA acknowledged their findings leave many questions unanswered, which will have to be explored more deeply in future studies.
"The study’s limitations included its reliance on self-reported dietary information, which may be affected by participant’s memory or recall and may not accurately assess typical eating patterns. Factors that may also play a role in health, outside of daily duration of eating and cause of death, were not included in the analysis," the organization caveated. "Future research may examine the biological mechanisms that underly the associations between a time-restricted eating schedule and adverse cardiovascular outcomes, and whether these findings are similar for people who live in other parts of the world."
As always, talk to your doctor before embarking on any fitness or nutritional journey, including incorporating intermittent fasting into your life.
