Fasting, feasting: The science behind intermittent fasting
Intermittent fasting, which was believed to be the new formula to achieve wholesome weight loss and a healthy lifestyle, could increase a person's risk of death from cardiovascular diseases, a new unpublished study has highlighted. Last week, an abstract was presented at an American Heart Association Conference claimed that people who followed the common intermittent fasting rule of 16:8 — fasting for 16 hours and eating in a window of eight hours — faced a 91% increased risk of dying from heart disease compared to people who spread their meals over 12 to 16 hours. The abstract showed that the increased risk of cardiovascular death was “Restricting daily eating time to a short period, such as eight hours per day, has gained popularity in recent years as a way to lose weight and improve heart health,” a statement issued by the American Heart Association read, quoting senior study author Victor Wenze Zhong, a professor and chair of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in Shanghai, China. "Short-term intermittent fasting has beneficial effects like weight loss and better lipid profile but long-term intermittent fasting has shown to almost double the risk of cardiovascular death.
Here's what experts say about the rewards — and risks — of intermittent fasting
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