Intermittent fasting may pose health risks, including an increased risk of long-term death from heart disease, according to a new study.

A recent study tracked the eating habits of 20,000 adults who underwent eight-hour intermittent fasting from 2003 to 2018. The timing varies from person to person, but the premise is to reduce your calorie intake, which will result in weight loss. The data showed that adults who fasted had a 91% higher risk of dying from heart disease compared to adults who followed a more traditional pattern of eating over 12 to 16 hours.

Medical experts like Dr. Neil Flock, a professor at Yale School of Medicine and a bariatric surgeon at Greenwich Hospital, say these findings are not cause for concern just yet.

“I’m not going to change your diet yet. Everyone should be treated as an individual, and that diet can still be good for you,” Flock said.

Flock also said that while this is a surprising finding, there are several factors to consider in this study.

“Either the patients aren’t telling the truth about their diet, or they’ve changed their diet after completing this survey for seven or eight years…or they’ve chosen a group that is very unhealthy, and they’ve replaced that group with another group that may be unhealthy.” “Maybe you’re comparing yourself to a group, and you’re actually eating healthier in a different way,” Flock said.

He said these findings are no reason for anyone to stop altogether.

“But what this study shows is that we need to do more research, and researchers need to start another study,” Flock said.

Instead, he recommends that people who want to lose weight should talk to their doctor or registered dietitian.