Intermittent fasting significantly increases the risk of cardiac death

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March 22, 2024 3:37 p.m. Robert Klatt

Intermittent fasting is considered healthy. A study now shows that diet significantly increases the risk of cardiovascular death.

Shanghai, China). Intermittent fasting, also called intermittent fasting, is a diet in which food is only eaten during certain periods of time. Most people who intermittently fast eat after eight hours and abstain from eating for the remaining 16 hours. In recent years, various studies have discovered the health benefits of intermittent fasting, including a reduced risk of diabetes.

Scientists from Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, led by Victor Wenze Zhong, studied whether and how intermittent fasting affects heart health. According to their publication in The New England Journal of Medicine They analyzed health data from 20,000 adults in the United States between 2003 and 2018, collected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

No more cardiovascular deaths from intermittent fasting

There were 31 cardiovascular deaths among test subjects during the study period. Data shows that the risk of cardiac death is significantly higher (+91%) in people who eat less than eight hours a day than average.

“While this type of diet is popular because of its potential short-term benefits, our research clearly shows that shorter meal times, compared to a typical meal time of between 12 and 16 hours per day, were not not associated with longer life.”

Opposite BNC Zhong explained that intermittent fasting over a short period of time can help with weight loss and promote cardiometabolic health. According to the researcher, people who want to follow this diet for a longer period, longer than three months, should be very careful.

Researchers criticize study

Several scientists, including Andreas Michalsen, head of the department of internal medicine and naturopathy at Immanuel Hospital in Berlin, criticized the study. According to Michalsen, the sample of only 31 deaths is too small to determine the risk of death. Michalsen also explains that the study has an observation period of eight to eleven years, but intermittent fasting has only been followed by many people for about three to five years. According to him, it is likely that the cardiovascular deaths were not exclusively due to intermittent fasting, but were triggered by other influencing factors.

The New England Journal of Medicine, doi: 10.1056/NEJMra1905136