According to the results of a study unveiled by the American Heart Association (AHA), 16:8 intermittent fasting, which limits the “eating window” to only 8 hours, is associated with a higher risk of death by cardiovascular disease. Explanations from Arnaud Cocaul, nutritionist doctor.
Popularized by many stars, such as Jennifer Aniston or Kourtney Kardashian, intermittent fasting is a diet which consists of eating in a balanced way over a fixed time slot and fasting the rest of the time. In the case of 16:8 intermittent fasting, this means eating from noon to eight p.m., before fasting until the next day, at midday.
An increase in the risk of death from cardiovascular disease by 91%!
This practice has been studied by scientists at the American Heart Association. During a scientific session of “l’Epidemiology and Prevention : Lifestyle and Cardiometablolic Health”, an AHA congress which is being held until March 21 in Chicago, preliminary work was presented concerning the effects of this young person (results not yet published in a scientific journal).
This is a study carried out using data provided by more than 20,000 volunteers via annual national health and nutrition surveys (NHANES) carried out between 2003 and 2018, in the United States. This information was cross-referenced with data on people who died in the country, over practically the same period, from 2003 to December 2019. Results: followers of 16:8 intermittent fasting have a 91% higher risk of cardiovascular death!
The same observation made in cardiovascular patients
The scientists went further and targeted the data concerning participants with cardiac pathology. For these people, observing this type of fast was also associated “at a 66% higher risk of death from cardiac disease or by stroke” specify the scientists.
Dr. Victor Wenze Zhong, lead author of the study, explains in a press release: “We were surprised to find that people who had an eating window limited to 8 hours were more likely to die from cardiovascular disease. Although this type of diet is popular because of its potential short-term benefits, our research clearly shows that compared to a typical meal duration of 12 to 16 hours per day, a shorter meal duration is not associated with a longer life.
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Arnaud Cocaul: “Intermittent fasting must be a supervised practice”
If the authors point out that their conclusions do not describe a causal link between the practice of intermittent fasting and cardiovascular pathologies, the results raise questions. According to Dr. Arnaud Cocaul, who responded to TipsForWomens, “another study, published in 2019 in The New England Journal of Medicine, showed on the contrary a benefit of intermittent fasting on the cardiovascular level, for people who underwent it..
However, warns the specialist, “intermittent fasting must be supervised. It is important to understand that it is necessary to do well three balanced mealswithin eight hours and know how to do it”. For the doctor, it is therefore “It is better to consult a doctor before starting intermittent fasting and especially if you have a chronic pathology, cardiac or other.
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