A popular way to lose weight, where people only eat during certain hours of the day, might actually increase the risk of dying from heart-related issues in the long run.
This is particularly true for those who already have heart problems or cancer.
Although this eating pattern, known as time-restricted eating, has been thought to help reduce heart disease risks in the short term, a new study suggests otherwise.
Time-restricted eating means you only eat during a specific part of the day, like within an 8-hour window, and then you don’t eat for the rest of the day.
This approach to eating has gained attention because it seems to help people lose weight and improve their health, at least over short periods. Some studies before even showed it could lower blood pressure and other heart disease markers, especially in overweight people.
In this new study, researchers looked at the eating habits of over 20,000 adults in the U.S.
They found that people who ate all their meals in less than 8 hours were almost twice as likely to die from heart disease or stroke over about 8 years, compared to those who spread their meals over 12 to 16 hours.
This was a surprising find, not just for people with heart issues or cancer, but for everyone.
However, for people with cancer, spreading out eating over more than 16 hours was linked to a lower chance of dying from cancer. But this eating style didn’t seem to change the overall chance of dying from any cause, including cancer.
These findings aren’t set in stone yet. They’re considered preliminary until more detailed results are published in a scientific journal.
Dr. Victor Wenze Zhong, who led the research, expressed surprise at the results, noting that they had expected time-restricted eating to be beneficial in the long run.
Yet, Dr. Kenneth Mukamal, who wasn’t involved in the study but is an expert in the field, urges caution. He points out that people might choose time-restricted eating for various reasons, including health issues that could affect their life expectancy.
The study was observational, meaning it looked at what people did naturally rather than assigning them to different eating schedules to directly compare the outcomes.
Dr. Mukamal suggests that if time-restricted eating helps someone maintain their weight, they shouldn’t necessarily stop based on this study alone.
He emphasizes the importance of what you eat over when you eat. Diets known for promoting heart health, like the DASH, pescetarian, and Mediterranean diets, should be the focus.
In conclusion, while time-restricted eating might seem like an effective way to manage weight and improve health in the short term, this study suggests there could be risks involved over the long term.
The research into the best eating patterns for heart health is ongoing, but focusing on the quality of food might be more beneficial than the timing of meals.
If you care about weight, please read studies about diet that can treat fatty liver disease, obesity, and hop extract could reduce belly fat in overweight people.
For more information about weight, please see recent studies about how to curb your cravings for ready-to-eat foods, and results showing what you can eat to speed your metabolism up.
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