Written by Charles Passey

Study shows people who eat time-restricted meals are more likely to die from heart disease

A new medical study is raising concerns about whether intermittent fasting, a weight loss method that has gained attention in recent years, may pose heart health risks.

And this time, instead of people looking to lose weight, opting instead for increasingly popular fat-loss drugs such as Novo Nordisk’s (NVO) (DK:NOVO.B) Ozempic and Wigovy The question arises. Instead, his Mounjaro from Eli Lilly & Co. (LLY) will be used.

The study, presented earlier this week at the American Heart Association meeting in Chicago, looked at a form of intermittent fasting called time-restricted eating, in which food is consumed within four to 12 hours. The rest of the time you will be fasting.

The study examined the dietary patterns of more than 20,000 American adults over several years and found that adhering to a time-restricted eating plan was “significantly associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular mortality, or death from heart disease.” It turned out that it was. This is despite previous research showing that time-restricted eating can improve some health markers, such as blood sugar levels, and may actually lead to weight loss.

Cardiologists who spoke to MarketWatch had mixed reactions to the study.

Dr. Sean Heffron, a New York state cardiologist at NYU Langone Health, criticized the study on several points. These include the fact that the study relied on participants remembering what they ate, rather than utilizing a more accurate protocol to chart their health status. Food intake.

Heffron said it’s important to recognize that there are many methods to consider for weight loss, and there is no “uniform recommendation” to patients as to which is best. But he wouldn’t rule out intermittent fasting as a worthwhile possibility and said he wasn’t concerned about the risk of death posed by the study.

“Patients need to reduce their calorie intake, and if intermittent fasting is an effective way to do that, then go for it,” he said.

But Dr. Nieka Goldberg, a New York cardiologist and medical director of private practice Atria New York, said the study results cannot be ignored, especially when discussing weight loss options with patients. .

“That would give me pause,” she said, but added that additional research is likely needed into the risks posed by time-restricted eating.

But doctors say it’s probably inevitable that studies like this will cause some people to seriously consider weight-loss drugs as a preferred option. As Goldberg pointed out, current drug use is already on the rise.

Goldman Sachs recently predicted that the annual market for these drugs could grow to $100 billion by 2030. Oprah Winfrey went public with the fact that she was taking one of the drugs and even touted it as a valuable tool in a network television special that aired. Early this week.

David Sagerman, managing director of BioPharma Equity Research, says Oprah’s feature will actually make a bigger difference in terms of demand for weight loss drugs than the study that raised concerns about time-restricted eating. He said it was possible. But he said there is no question that the success of drugs that help people lose weight has changed the landscape of various weight loss products, methods and treatments.

Zeigerman pointed to the fact that Weight Watchers (WW) acquired Sequence, a pharmaceutical formulation company, as a way to stay competitive in a changing landscape. The company is “trying to understand how they fit in,” he said.

Still, some medical experts say it’s important to remember that the drug isn’t right for everyone. Particularly for people who don’t have insurance that covers the drug, the cost can run into the hundreds of dollars a month.

Dr. Neha Pathak, an internist and member of the WebMD website’s medical team, also noted that the drug can have side effects that are “unbearable in the long term for many patients.” She said it’s important to view medicine as “just a tool in our toolbox.”

-Charles Passey

This content was generated by MarketWatch, a Dow Jones Company. MarketWatch is published independently of the Dow Jones Newswires and the Wall Street Journal.

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03/23/24 1244ET

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