Over the years, we have written a lot about intermittent fasting. Study after study has found that it’s a style of eating that can aid blood sugar. It isn’t a diet as it doesn’t tell you what to eat or how much; it just gives you a window of time to eat. It’s a style of eating that is beneficial to some people. However, it’s not without controversy, and there are questions about health risks.
New research has found mixed evidence that intermittent fasting increases the risk of dying from heart disease. While it sounds alarming at first, there are a lot of things to consider.
The study was observational, not experimental. That means they could learn about people who follow intermittent fasting. But, they didn’t have people change their diet and compare different levels of heart health. The study looked at people who restricted their eating to an eight-hour window. It didn’t consider factors like if a person was trying to lose weight if they were doing it for medical reasons, or if they were ill and had a reduced appetite.
The study found that people who ate meals in an eight-hour window had a 91 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease than folks who ate over 12 or 16 hours. It’s unknown if they had a health concern before following intermittent fasting. They may restrict their eating window because they have a heart problem. It’s also possible that fasting harms the heart, we simply don’t know.
The study isn’t without merit. Other studies have found that folks with heart disease who follow the diet are 64 percent more likely to die from heart disease than those who don’t. Another study found that people with blood sugar concerns might have better heart health if they steer away from the diet.
The research looked at people’s dietary patterns via National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys collected annually from 2003 to 2018. Having a study that follows people for over a decade gives more insight into the long-term impacts of a diet. Not much is known about the long-term effects of intermittent fasting.
When starting a diet, it’s essential to speak to your doctor. Everyone has different health needs. Intermittent fasting can help people lose weight. There are no restrictions on the types of food a person can eat, and it can help people avoid blood sugar spikes. But it’s not a good fit for everyone.
