Time-restricted eating, a type of intermittent fasting, involves limiting the hours for eating to a specific number of hours each day, which may range from a 4 to 12-hour time window in 24 hours. Previous research has found that time-restricted eating improves several cardiometabolic health measures, such as blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol levels. Restricting daily eating time for a short period has been trending for a number of years, however, new study data with over 20,000 adults evaluated the time-restricted eating regimen and found that those who followed an 8-hour time-restricted eating schedule had a 91% higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD). Furthermore, individuals with pre-existing CVD and cancer also carried a higher risk of CV death. Interestingly, among individuals with pre-existing CVD, an eating duration of no less than 8 hours but less than 10 hours per day was also associated with a 66% higher risk of death from heart disease or stroke. Notably, eating duration of more than 16 hours per day was associated with a lower risk of cancer mortality among individuals with cancer. These findings may undoubtedly change our view towards intermittent fasting; however, these study findings have their limitations, and more long-term future research is warranted.

Reference:

1. American Heart Association. 8-hour time-restricted eating linked to a 91% higher risk of cardiovascular death. (n.d.). Available at: https://newsroom.heart.org/news/8-hour-time-restricted-eating-linked-to-a-91-higher-risk-of-cardiovascular-death?preview=16dd&preview_mode=True