Time-restricted eating, often known as intermittent fasting, is a common weight-loss strategy that has been linked to a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular death. Though it has gained popularity in recent years for its potential health benefits, studies suggest that the practice could increase a person’s risk of death from heart disease.
The Study Covered 15 Years With More Findings Yet To Reveal
A recent study confirmed that eating meals within an 8-hour time frame nearly doubles heart disease deaths. The research was presented last week as a scientific poster at an American Heart Association conference. The study referenced the data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES), which collects information from a wide range of people in the US.
It revealed people who ate their meals within an eight-hour time frame faced a 91% increased risk of cardiovascular death when compared to people spreading their meals over 12 to 16 hours. The data suggests that 7.5% of those who followed intermittent fasting died from heart disease during the study when compared to 3.6% of those who ate for 16 hours.
Since the full details of the study are yet to be revealed, it is impossible to say if other factors such as body weight, medications, or diet quantity have any influence on the results. The participants may likely have eaten during a shooter timeframe, not necessarily because they wanted to follow the trending intermittent fasting, but because of some other reasons. For example, their medications must have led to poor appetite, which could have influenced the results.
Though this research has been making headlines lately, the findings are not unique. They align with some of the other studies published by the same authority. That is, a previous study had shown that eating over a longer period significantly reduced the risk of death from heart disease by a whopping 64%. Another similar study conducted on people with diabetes revealed those who ate more frequently had a relatively lower risk of cardiovascular death.
A third study discovered that an overnight fast longer than 14 hours or shorter than 10 hours increased the risk of dying from heart disease. This implies that even too short a fast could also lead to health issues.
There are conflicting results about intermittent fasting, mainly due to the different types of intermittent fasting. The current study looks at time-restricted eating, but we also have another well-acclaimed pattern of intermittent fasting which is commonly known 5:2 diet. People who follow the latter generally consume about 25% of their energy needs on their fast days while there is no restriction on food intake on feed days.
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Despite the studies that suggest intermittent fasting or time-restricted eating is not ideal for maintaining cardiovascular health, the systematic reviews of the randomized controlled trials (RCTs) consistently demonstrate the health benefits of intermittent fasting in terms of heart disease risk factors such as cholesterol and blood pressure levels, and weight loss. As per the findings of RCTs, intermittent fasting yields comparable improvements in the aforementioned areas when compared to conventional dieting such as daily moderate energy restriction diets.
Contrary to the observational research, RCTs follow participants for around 12 months, leaving long-term effects as a mystery. Observational studies provide insights over a long period but fail to demonstrate the cause and effect.