People on an intermittent fasting diet may be more likely to die from heart-related causes, researchers have found.

Preliminary research presented at the American Heart Association Epidemiology and Society Conference found that people who followed a time-restricted eating schedule and ate only within eight hours of the day had lower cardiovascular risk than those who followed a regular schedule. They were 91 percent more likely to die from the disease. The Preventive Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Science Session 2024 will be held in Chicago from March 18th to 21st.

This finding was unexpected, as previous studies have found that intermittent fasting improves blood pressure, blood sugar, and cholesterol levels.

Intermittent fasting is an eating pattern that involves alternating periods of fasting and eating. There are several methods of intermittent fasting, but the most common are the 16/8 method, where you fast for 16 hours each day and limit your eating time to 8 hours, and eat normally for 5 hours each day. 5:2 law included. Pick a day of the week and limit your calorie intake to 500 to 600 calories on two non-consecutive days.

“Restricting your daily diet to a short period of time, such as eight hours a day, has become increasingly popular in recent years as a way to lose weight and improve heart health,” said study author and professor of epidemiology and biostatistics at Shanghai University. Professor Victor Wenze Zhong said. This was said in a statement by Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in Shanghai, China. “However, the long-term health effects of time-restricted eating, including the risk of death from any cause or cardiovascular disease, are unknown.”

However, the study included an analysis of data from more than 20,000 adults across the United States, and found that those consuming a 16/8 diet compared to those consuming a regular intermittent diet. found a 91 percent increased risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

Researchers found that for people with pre-existing cardiovascular disease, eating eight to 10 hours a day increased the risk of death from heart disease and stroke by 66 percent, and that even if you restricted eating hours, you still died overall. They found that the risk did not decrease. Cause.

Researchers also found that people with heart disease and cancer had an increased risk of dying from cardiovascular disease, and that cancer patients who ate for more than 16 hours a day had a lower risk of dying.

“We were surprised to discover that people who followed an 8-hour time-restricted eating schedule were more likely to die from cardiovascular disease. This type of diet is popular because it offers short-term benefits. However, our research clearly shows that, compared to the typical eating range of 12 to 16 hours per day, research shows that shorter meal times are not associated with longer lives. ,” Zhong said.

“It is critical for patients, especially those with pre-existing heart disease or cancer, to be aware of the association between the 8-hour meal window and increased risk of cardiovascular death. “We encourage a more careful and individualized approach to dietary recommendations, ensuring that they are consistent with individual health status and the latest scientific evidence,” he continued. “Although this study confirmed an association between an 8-hour eating window and cardiovascular death, this does not mean that time-restricted eating caused cardiovascular death.”

Limitations of this study include the fact that people self-reported their eating schedules. This means that this data can be influenced by the patient’s memory. This analysis also did not include factors such as duration of diet or cause of death.

“This report is a conference presentation and lacks the detail of a full paper to assess the quality of the research. The report presents mortality risks ranging from 1 to 13 years, with a median of 8 years. “How people ate over a two-day period was associated with their risk of cardiovascular disease and death,” said the administration at Aston University’s Aston Medical School, who were not involved in the study. Duane Mellor, a nutritionist and senior lecturer, said in a statement.

“Models were used to assess risk, but it was unclear how much healthy dietary patterns were included in the models, or even what people ate. Limited information It is not clear from the available information whether smoking, physical activity, and alcohol were considered as risk variables because of the

“As this abstract suggests, it is impossible to say whether how people restrict their mealtimes is associated with risk for health outcomes. The data “It’s unclear why they would restrict their eating hours, because it’s very limited based on their diet.” “They may have restricted their meal times. Some people may have done so for health reasons. “However, some people do so because of stressful work conditions or poverty, both of which are risk factors for cardiovascular death,” Mellor explained.

“We have to be very careful not to generate worrying headlines and stories based on such limited information. What you eat and your overall lifestyle are more important than what you eat.” for the past 10 years. ”

The researchers hope to further investigate why time-restricted diets affect cardiovascular disease outcomes. They also want to investigate whether this trend is seen around the world.

“The results provided in this conference summary are quite shocking and suggest that people on ‘time-restricted eating’ may have twice the risk of cardiovascular death. “This calls into question the generally recognized health benefits of this popular diet,” said Baptiste Roulin. An associate professor of medical statistics at UCL, who was not involved in the study, said in a statement:

“This study was based on a large sample of American adults and appears to have been well conducted, judging from the limited summary provided. However, the information available is very limited. The full study has not yet been published and these results are too short.”For example, it is unclear whether the reported results take into account the underlying differences between the groups compared.

“This association may not be so surprising if people who follow this diet tend to be older or at higher risk for cardiovascular disease. If those practicing this practice tend to practice a healthier lifestyle, such as increasing their physical activity, the risk of: “This diet may be even higher than the observed difference in mortality rates.” “There’s a gender,” Roulin said. “We look forward to the full publication of these important findings.”

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