Intermittent fasting divides the day or week into fasting and eating periods
Intermittent fasting is currently one of the most popular health and fitness trends. It is commonly used to lose weight. Weight loss is further linked with better health and overall well-being. It is an eating pattern in which your day or week is divided into fasting and eating periods. Most diets tell you what to eat. On the other hand, intermittent fasting emphasises on when to eat. Those following intermittent fasting usually extend their sleeping fast by skipping breakfast. They eat lunch around noon followed by an early dinner before 8 pm.
Intermittent fasting has been a popular social media trend. Many celebrities have also attributed their body transformation to intermittent fasting. However, a recent study has highlighted the downsides of intermittent fasting.
The study highlights that limiting mealtimes to a period of just 8 hours a day is linked to a 91% increased risk of death from heart disease.
The findings were presented on Monday in Chicago.
More details from the study
The researchers examined a group of 20,000 adults. After noting their dietary patterns, it was concluded that participants who practised intermittent fasting were 91% more likely to have died from heart disease than those who didn't.
Also, those with pre-existing heart conditions had a 66% higher risk of dying from heart disease and stroke.
"Time-restricted eating is popular as a means of reducing calorie intake," Keith Frayn, emeritus professor of human metabolism at the University of Oxford, said in a statement to the UK Science Media Center. "This work is very important in showing that we need long-term studies on the effects of this practice. But this abstract leaves many questions unanswered."
The findings were presented at the American Heart Association's Epidemiology and Prevention, Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Scientific Sessions 2024, March 18- 21, in Chicago.
The AHA also mentioned that the findings are considered preliminary until published as a full manuscript in a peer-reviewed scientific journal.
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