Intermittent fasting plan linked to higher risk of cardiovascular death

Health in a Heartbeat

Devotees of intermittent fasting, take note: One such eating plan has been linked to a substantially higher risk of cardiovascular death.

Researchers with the American Heart Association concluded recently that people who limit their eating to less than eight hours a day were more likely to die from cardiovascular disease than those who ate during a 12- to 16-hour window.

Eating all meals within an eight-hour window has become an increasingly popular variant of intermittent fasting. Other research has shown it can improve several cardiometabolic health measures, including blood sugar, blood pressure and cholesterol levels.

For their study, the researchers tracked more than 20,000 U.S. adults with an average age of 49. Their health metrics and eating habits were followed for eight to 17 years. Those who ate during an eight-hour window had a 91% higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

As the intermittent fasting time window expanded, the risk of dying from a stroke or heart disease dropped a bit. Those whose meals were spread out over eight to 10 hours had a 66% higher risk of death compared with those who ate in a 12- to 16-hour time frame.

And there were other findings related to intermittent fasting and mortality: Time-restricted eating didn’t reduce the overall risk of death from any cause. Among those with cancer, eating over a 16-hour period each day was associated with a lower risk of death from that disease.

So, what’s the big-picture message about dieting and cardiovascular risk? The researchers recommend a more cautious, personalized approach to intermittent fasting.