Intermittent fasting tied to heart risk in study.

Intermittent fasting, a popular weight loss strategy involving restricted meal times, faces scrutiny due to findings presented at a recent medical conference. The study, which focused on limiting eating to an eight-hour window daily, revealed a concerning 91% increase in the risk of heart disease-related death. Released in Chicago, the research drew attention from the American Heart Association (AHA), which published only an abstract, leaving many details undisclosed. Although the study underwent peer review before release, its protocol remained a subject of speculation among scientists.

In light of advancements in weight loss drugs, lifestyle interventions like intermittent fasting have been reevaluated. Some medical professionals have questioned the study's findings, suggesting potential biases due to variations in the health statuses of participants, particularly between those practicing fasting and the comparison group with longer eating windows spanning 12 to 16 hours daily. Keith Frayn, emeritus professor of human metabolism at the University of Oxford, emphasized the necessity for long-term investigations into the practice's effects, underscoring the importance of addressing lingering questions.

Led by Victor Zhong of Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, researchers analyzed data from approximately 20,000 adults included in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. Through questionnaires and mortality records spanning from 2003 to 2019, the study assessed eating patterns and health outcomes, though acknowledging potential inaccuracies in self-reported dietary information.

Among the patient cohort, predominantly consisting of men with an average age of 48, intermittent fasting practitioners exhibited distinct characteristics. Notably, they tended to be younger men with higher body mass indexes and greater food insecurity. Despite lower rates of hypertension, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease based on self-reports, the association between eight-hour time-restricted eating and cardiovascular mortality persisted even after adjusting for these variables, according to Zhong.

The duration of intermittent fasting among participants remained unclear, although researchers assumed its continuity throughout the study period. Presented at the AHA's Lifestyle Scientific Sessions meeting, the abstract underscored the need for further investigation into the long-term implications of intermittent fasting on health outcomes.

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