Intermittent fasting means you don’t eat for 16 hours. But drinking is allowed.
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Published19. March 2024, 11:14
New Study: Intermittent Fasting Is Worse for You Than You Think
Intermittent fasting helps you lose weight and is good for you. At least that is what has been assumed so far. But is that really true? A new study claims the opposite.
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Heidi Klum, Jennifer Aniston, Kourtney Kardashian, Jimmy Kimmel – all of these stars are fans of intermittent fasting. But now a study shows that the weight loss method is said to be linked to heart disease.
Intermittent fasting, what is it anyway?
With intermittent fasting, you only eat within a set time window and fast for the rest of the day. On the one hand, this should help you control your weight better because you automatically consume fewer calories. On the other hand, it is believed to bring many health benefits.
The most common form of intermittent fasting is intermittent fasting, where you eat food within eight hours and fast for the remaining 16 hours. The fasting period can be shortened to 14 hours or extended to 18 to 20 hours.
With intermittent fasting, you only eat for a certain period of time, for example eight hours.
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What came out of the study?
According to researchers at Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, people who fast intermittently have a 91 percent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular disease. This is in comparison to non-fasting people.
Those who already suffered from cardiovascular disease and intermittent fasting are said to have a 66 percent higher risk of dying from heart disease or a stroke.
What kind of study is this?
The result was presented in Chicago at a Konferenz der American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention. The study examined the health data of over 20,000 Americans. Data from people over 20 who took part in health surveys between 2003 and 2018 were used. Their information was monitored over a period of eight years.
What do the results mean?
The study has just been published. So far, experts are still in the process of evaluating and questioning the results. However, Andreas Michalsen, holder of the endowed professorship in naturopathy at the Charité Berlin and a renowned expert on fasting, is critical of the “Standard”: “I consider epidemiological studies regarding intermittent fasting to be absolutely unreliable. Their informative value is extremely low.”
He also says: “What is most irritating is that there is an observation period of eight to eleven years. Intermittent fasting has only become a more common practice in about three to five years.” Therefore, one must assume that the study participants had other reasons for skipping meals.
Do you have a better way to lose weight than intermittent fasting? What are your tips?
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