By now, you’ve likely heard about the latest study that focused on intermittent fasting. The headlines splashed on nearly every media outlet read “Intermittent fasting linked to 91% greater risk of death from heart disease”. It was eye catching and also alarming, as intermittent fasting has been all the rage for many years.
From helping to manage glucose levels, increasing your metabolic rate, reducing cholesterol levels, helping to retain muscle mass, prevent cancer, and more- intermittent fasting has been studied from a variety of perspectives. Yet the latest headline tells a different story, at least when it comes to a possible increase in death from heart disease. It was taken from an abstract of a study presented at an American Heart Association conference. The study included more than 20,000 participants in the U.S. Two interviews were done within two weeks during which participants self-reported what they ate the previous day. The participants’ eating windows were calculated from just those two interviews and extrapolated as being their norm for the duration of the study. Participants were followed for an average period of eight years.
Participants who limited eating to within an eight-hour period in the day had a 91% higher chance of dying from cardiovascular disease than those who ate over a period of 12-16 hours, the study found.
Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian, a cardiologist and professor of medicine at Tufts University, called the study “very problematic.” The eight-hour eating group may have included many people who were very busy, or faced other challenges that forced them to miss meals or eat erratically, he said.
Additional limitations include:
- The study was not peer-reviewed, which is a quality control measure and a typical process of publishing a study.
- Participants self-reported their eating habits, which has been shown to result in inconsistencies.
- From just the two interviews, long-term eating habits were assumed to be constant for the duration of the study.
- Specifics about the quality of diet were not recorded; those that ate lower quality food (e.g. ultra-processed foods) would be at higher risk of developing cardiovascular disease independent of their eating routine.
- The participants within the 8-hour eating group were limited (only 414 people out of the total 20,000).
- Participants within the 8-hour eating group were more likely to be smokers, which heightens the risk of cardiovascular disease dramatically.
- Participants within the 8-hour eating group were more likely to be younger and have less access to food.
- Participants within the 8-hour eating group were also more likely to be lower income, which some studies have found can result in diets that include more processed foods. Processed foods increase the risk of cardiovascular disease, among many other issues.
- The study didn’t disclose other health concerns that the participants faced- like diabetes, eating disorders, illness that impacted their appetite, or whether the eating pattern they shared in just two interviews, was in fact their norm.
While the study clearly has a variety of limitations, it is important to consider that while this study should not be viewed as a source to draw conclusions, there may in fact be long-term impacts to our health. But at this point it is unclear as studies to date have been limited in their duration.
That’s why we need to scrutinize headlines before making any sudden changes- and of course, speak to your provider about not only facts and data but what may work for your individual needs.
That being said, there’s no question the safest, healthiest and best way to eat well, lose weight and keep it off is a diet one can stick to long term. Most of us feel lethargic and low energy, even angry, when hungry. We are meant to graze– eating multiple times throughout the day. It’s how we keep our glucose and hormone levels stable- as well as appetite under control. Now we understand the biggest priority is portion control, low processed, plant-based diets that encourage the intake of healthy foods. It’s easy to maintain and proven safe and effective.
You can read our past posts about intermittent fasting below.
-https://www.msn.com/en-us/health/other/study-links-intermittent-fasting-to-increased-heart-risks-draws-skepticism-from-experts/ar-BB1kXAEv
-https://www.abstractsonline.com/pp8/#!/20343/presentation/379
-https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/20/well/eat/intermittent-fasting-study.html
-https://scitechdaily.com/intermittent-fasting-linked-to-a-91-higher-risk-of-cardiovascular-death/
-https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6471315/
-https://www.health.harvard.edu/blog/intermittent-fasting-does-a-new-study-show-downsides-or-not-2020103021235
-https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-long-term-benefits-and-risks-of-intermittent-fasting-arent-yet-known/#:~:text=ANSWER%3A%20Recent%20research%20has%20found%20that%20using%20intermittent,diets%20that%20severely%20restrict%20calories%20are%20not%20known.
-https://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/campaign/tips/diseases/heart-disease-stroke.html#:~:text=Cigarette%20smoking%20is%20a%20major%20cause%20of%20cardiovascular,6%20Cause%20thickening%20and%20narrowing%20of%20blood%20vessels
-https://www.weekand.com/healthy-living/article/eating-habits-lowincome-populations-18008737.php