A new study served some food for thought after researchers dug into the ticking heart of the time-restricted eating schedule, a dietary trend that has swept up many adults in recent times.

More than 20,000 adults participated in the new preliminary study, which highlighted that those who restricted their eating schedule to an 8-hour window during the day had a 91% higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

The time-restricted eating schedule, a type of intermittent fasting, involves limiting the number of hours during which an individual consumes food in a day. Most people who follow this diet adopt a 16:8 eating schedule, which means they eat whatever they want during an 8-hour window during the day and then deprive their tummies of any food for the next 16 hours.

Initially, this time-restricted eating was lauded for having waist-trimming benefits in addition to improving heart health. However, the new study pointed to different results, according to a press release.

The time-restricted eating schedule is a type of intermittent fasting and involves limiting the number of hours during which an individual consumes food in a day

Image credits: The Lazy Artist Gallery / Pexels

“Restricting daily eating time to a short period, such as 8 hours per day, has gained popularity in recent years as a way to lose weight and improve heart health,” said the study’s senior author, Victor Wenze Zhong, Ph.D., a professor and chair of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in Shanghai, China. “However, the long-term health effects of time-restricted eating, including [the] risk of death from any cause or cardiovascular disease, are unknown.”

After studying the long-term impact of time-restricted eating, the researchers of the study concluded that people who followed a pattern of eating their food across an 8-hour window per day had a 91% higher risk of death due to cardiovascular disease.

The time-restricted eating schedule was initially touted as having health benefits and waist-loss effects

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The researchers further said that eating across a duration of more than 16 hours per day was associated with a lower risk of cancer mortality among people with cancer.

The analysis also revealed that time-restricted eating did not lower the overall risk of death from any cause.

“We were surprised to find that people who followed an 8-hour, time-restricted eating schedule were more likely to die from cardiovascular disease. Even though this type of diet has been popular due to its potential short-term benefits, our research clearly shows that, compared with a typical eating time range of 12-16 hours per day, a shorter eating duration was not associated with living longer,” Zhong said.

People who consumed food within an 8-hour window and then fasted for 16 hours had a 91% higher risk of dying from heart disease

Image credits: Karolina Grabowska / Pexels

“It’s crucial for patients, particularly those with existing heart conditions or cancer, to be aware of the association between an 8-hour eating window and increased risk of cardiovascular death. Our study’s findings encourage a more cautious, personalized approach to dietary recommendations, ensuring that they are aligned with an individual’s health status and the latest scientific evidence,” he went on to say. “Although the study identified an association between an 8-hour eating window and cardiovascular death, this does not mean that time-restricted eating caused cardiovascular death.”

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