Eastern News: May 2024 Page 8 of 21 Health Information

Intermittent Fasting May Raise the Risk of Cardiovascular Death

While intermittent fasting has grown in popularity, a recent study presented at America Heart Association event in Chicago has made an alarming claim — it is linked to a 91 per cent higher risk of cardiovascular death.
Experts said while the study’s data are not conclusive, they do flag the risks of intermittent fasting, and such diets should not be followed without consulting a doctor.

Intermittent fasting is essentially a time-restricted diet, where the day’s calorie requirements are consumed over a period of eight to twelve hours, with participants fasting for the rest of
the day.

Studies that tracked participants on such diets for short periods — three months to a year —
have shown benefits such as weight-loss, increased insulin sensitivity, and better control of diabetes. The data presented recently tried to look at the long-term impact of intermittent
fasting. The researchers, led by Victor Zhong of the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, analysed data from about 20,000 adults included in the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. It found that people who ate all of their food in less than 8 hours per day had a 91% higher risk of death due to cardiovascular disease. Among people already living with heart diseases, intermittent fasting increased the risk of death due to heart disease and stroke by 66%.
According to a review of intermittent fasting by Harvard, 12 clinical trials that compared the fasting group with the continuous calorie restriction group found no significant difference in
weight loss outcomes.

What do experts say about the study?
First, the data were presented at a conference and are yet to be peer-reviewed. Second, not a lot is known about the methodology followed to reach the conclusions. The study’s reliance on
self-reported dietary information, which may be affected by participant’s memory or recall and may not accurately assess typical eating patterns, is viewed as a limitation.

Third, and most importantly, the figures presented don’t take into account if the participant had diabetes, whether they were on drugs for managing it, whether they were on cardioprotective medicines, or whether they were following a good diet and exercise schedule.

Experts say intermittent fasting is not for all. Youngsters under the age of 25 and pregnant women, who have a higher calorie requirement, should not follow intermittent fasting.

Neither should long-term diabetics dependent on high doses of medication and insulin.

People with heart disease should not follow it either. The other essential thing is to stick to a circadian clock — the eating period should not be delayed to later in the day so that people can
continue eating till late at night. (indianexpress.com updated March, 22, 2024