According to a 2020 study in the American Journal of Medicine, intermittent fasting is a popular nutrition or weight loss method that involves stopping eating food for 4 to 16 hours a day, or a specific window of time. Get all your calories inside.

Men’s Health UK reported in 2019 that famous celebrities and fitness influencers such as Hugh Jackman and Chris Hemsworth endorse and practice intermittent fasting. However, a new research study has revealed some worrying results.

Recent studies raise concerns

At the March 2024 American Heart Association meeting, a summary by researchers from Shanghai Jiao Tong University concluded that people who eat their entire meal over an eight-hour day have a 91 percent higher risk of heart-related death.

Dr. Victor Wenze Zhong and his research team told the conference that so-called 16:8 time-restricted eating is the most common. These include a 16-hour fast, but all meals he must eat within 8 hours.

The study surveyed a sample of 20,000 U.S. adults, with each participant self-reporting data on their eating plans. The researchers then compared the participants’ data with the National Health Index’s mortality and diet-related records from 2019 to 2024 to reach their conclusion.

The study concluded that the most common intermittent fasting time frame was associated with a 91% higher chance of cardiovascular death. But there are many important aspects to consider beyond the headlines.

Dr. Zhong and his colleagues acknowledge in their method that intermittent fasting has been reported to be beneficial for short-term analyses, and this study relies on potentially unreliable self-reported dietary information. I am troubled.

Erin Krill, a performance nutritionist at Mount Royal University, said there is little evidence to support intermittent fasting for long-term weight loss, and she has seen an increase in appetite in people who practice intermittent fasting.

“In my work with athletes, time-restricted eating is discouraged because it can lead to fasted training and put the body at higher risk for injury,” Krill says. Masu.

The Shanghai researchers also acknowledged that time-restricted eating does not directly cause cardiovascular death (paragraph 23) and that additional factors other than daily diet were not included in the analysis.

Additionally, Dr. Zhong and his colleagues discovered medical trends in data that has not yet been replicated or peer-reviewed. The available data are new and it may take some time before peer-reviewed studies verify these conclusions.

Similar studies also raise concerns

A 2020 study by Canadian Family Physicians had a significantly smaller sample size of over 900 participants. Yet, in 27 different intermittent fasting trials ranging from 2 weeks to 12 weeks, no adverse results were recorded. However, the same research team found that further long-term studies are needed to expand current knowledge about the effects of intermittent fasting over long periods of time.

Zayem Ishtiaq, a Muslim university student, practices intermittent fasting during Ramadan, a cultural festival in which people refrain from eating for a month each year. 16:8 Just like the Dharma, Ishtiaq says he fasts from dawn to dusk and eats before sunrise and after sunset.

“It’s difficult to fast for a month. However, I have been participating in Ramadan for six years and have never experienced any negative effects,” Ishtiaq says.

Another 2020 study by the American Journal of Medicine found that intermittent fasting can improve the suggests three ways to benefit.

However, similar to the Canadian family physician’s findings, the American Journal of Medicine researchers note that at the time of this study, there were no large controlled randomized trials (paragraph 1) of intermittent fasting. He points out.

Additionally, a 2019 study conducted by Nutrients researchers claims that intermittent fasting actually limits the risk of some cardiovascular diseases by undergoing energetic processes, but cardiovascular They are raising red flags about intermittent fasting, which has a number of disadvantages that are not linked to death.

The Canadian Journal of Cardiology also suggested that a long-term intermittent fasting study is needed for proper testing (Conclusions and Future Thoughts).

Other research papers referenced contain similar statements about the future of intermittent fasting research, with current data overwhelmingly taking place over short periods of time.

further research is needed

Researchers have found multiple positive effects of intermittent fasting in controlled short-term studies. However, there is no current or peer-reviewed research to prove or disprove Dr. Zhong’s claims. Further research is needed to support conclusive evidence.

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