Intermittent Fasting Study

[maudefindlay]

These are preliminary findings.

A study of over 20,000 adults found that those who followed an 8-hour time-restricted eating schedule, a type of intermittent fasting, had a 91% higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease.

newsroom.heart.org/news/8-hour-time-restricted-eating-linked-to-a-91-higher-risk-of-cardiovascular-death

[sugarbear1]

Whoa! I'll read the article later but that is NOT what I expected.

[maudefindlay]

I feel like so many IG influencers have shared that they do IF. Good reminder to always consult your doctor before trying out a different nutrition/diet plan.

[Susie]

One of my friends did IF (and other things) and she successfully lost about 60? 80? lbs. recently.  She extols the virtues of IF frequently.  I've never felt like it was something I was up for trying, partly due to my emphasis on fueling for running, but I was always kind of intrigued at how it worked, and how well it seems to work.  I read the WaPo article about it yesterday (https://www.washingtonpost.com/wellness/2024/03/18/intermittent-fasting-time-restricted-eating/) and was pretty blown.  The statistics are scary-sounding.  I think I need to find the actual studies and read them for better context.

[carmenere]

Stay News is dismissive of the findings and the hype: www.statnews.com/2024/03/19/intermittent-fasting-study-heart-risk/

[archiethedragon]

journalists are really terrible at accurately reporting on scientific and medical studies.

[noodleoo]

Mar 20, 2024 10:40:03 GMT -5 archiethedragon said:

journalists are really terrible at accurately reporting on scientific and medical studies.

THIS.  I saw the headline and rolled my eyes because I want to see the actual study and it wasn't linked in the article I read.  The article carmenere posted says all the headlines are based on a press release for an observational study that hasn't even been released yet, so yeah people are flying with the headlines before they have seen any data.

I lost 35 lbs doing IFing and I've kept it off for 2.5 years.  I didn't do it specifically for weight loss but because I was prediabetic and diabetes runs strongly in my family.  I'm now back in the normal blood sugar range.  I think the benefits (for me personally) probably outweigh the risks.

[rubytue]

Mar 20, 2024 10:24:59 GMT -5 maudefindlay said:

I feel like so many IG influencers have shared that they do IF. Good reminder to always consult your doctor before trying out a different nutrition/diet plan.

My *cardiologist* actually told me to wait an extra hour before having breakfast, and was basically coaching me toward IF.

[felicity]

The article does say this:
"The study’s limitations included its reliance on self-reported dietary information, which may be affected by participant’s memory or recall and may not accurately assess typical eating patterns. Factors that may also play a role in health, outside of daily duration of eating and cause of death, were not included in the analysis."

So basically, IF may or may not be the actual reason these people have higher chances of cardiovascular disease. The AHA also has a history of using bad studies for their diet recommendations, so I wouldn't put a lot of trust in anything they say.

[StrawberryBlondie]

I did kind of an intermittent fasting situation after a vacation last year basically with the intent to get my brain back in the mindset that anytime isn't a good time for a snack. I wasn't super strict about it but basically waited until I was actually feeling hungry in the morning to eat breakfast (usually about 9 am) and then stopped eating 3 hrs before bedtime (usually about 7 pm).

Anecdotally, it improved my sleep a noticeable amount and probably as a result I had a ton more energy, so I've tried to keep it up as much as I can.

[VillainV]

Mar 20, 2024 13:58:18 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

I did kind of an intermittent fasting situation after a vacation last year basically with the intent to get my brain back in the mindset that anytime isn't a good time for a snack. I wasn't super strict about it but basically waited until I was actually feeling hungry in the morning to eat breakfast (usually about 9 am) and then stopped eating 3 hrs before bedtime (usually about 7 pm).

Anecdotally, it improved my sleep a noticeable amount and probably as a result I had a ton more energy, so I've tried to keep it up as much as I can.

I’ve definitely noticed (thanks to my Oura ring data) that eating close to bedtime negatively affects my resting heart rate and HRV while I’m sleeping, resulting in poor sleep quality.

[StrawberryBlondie]

Mar 20, 2024 16:53:18 GMT -5 VillainV said:

Mar 20, 2024 13:58:18 GMT -5 StrawberryBlondie said:

I did kind of an intermittent fasting situation after a vacation last year basically with the intent to get my brain back in the mindset that anytime isn't a good time for a snack. I wasn't super strict about it but basically waited until I was actually feeling hungry in the morning to eat breakfast (usually about 9 am) and then stopped eating 3 hrs before bedtime (usually about 7 pm).

Anecdotally, it improved my sleep a noticeable amount and probably as a result I had a ton more energy, so I've tried to keep it up as much as I can.

I’ve definitely noticed (thanks to my Oura ring data) that eating close to bedtime negatively affects my resting heart rate and HRV while I’m sleeping, resulting in poor sleep quality.

Yeah, I've also noticed that on days where I do eat close to bedtime, I sleep very noticably worse.

[chilerellanos]

Idk, went from a size 18 to a size 6-8 with IF and weight training. My labs and BP are all really great, so I kinda feel like being healthier has decreased my risk of heart disease.

I relaxed a bit and gained some weight but have recently gotten back into it, and this study won’t change my mind.

[chilerellanos]

I do wonder if some of it might be people that do IF and keto together. Or IF and carnivore.

[basilosaurus]

Mar 20, 2024 17:44:43 GMT -5 chilerellanos said:

I do wonder if some of it might be people that do IF and keto together. Or IF and carnivore.

Yes, this is necessary information. What people are eating vs when they're eating is necessary information. Are these results the same across the spectrum of diets? Different? If following a restrictive diet like keto or vegan, how do those compare to people not doing if?

As an aside, I weirdly keep getting all these fb sponsored posts for both vegan and keto/carnivore. While I personally lean mostly vegetarian and have my entire adult life, it's not like I search for anything about any diet. I'm just wondering what algorithm comes up with 2 diametrically opposed diets which makes me think the sponsors are the same and just target women of a certain age who are obviously looking for a diet "cure" any diet. The carnivore pics actually make me feel nauseated. I do follow Mark Bittman.

[starlily]

I'll be the outlier. I tried IF for a solid six months last year and gained weight. I'll never do it again. I aimed for an 8 hour window, 12-8pm, so I could eat dinner with my family. I was constantly so hungry by noon, however, that I made a lot of terrible choices for lunch under the guise of "well, it's ok because it's in my window." I also probably ate more at dinner too, thinking that it was my last chance to eat for the day. And because I was thinking about food so much more than I had previously, it was adding to my overall stress level.

I didn't start losing weight until I went back to eating 3 meals and an afternoon snack. I'm so much happier eating this way and the food noise in my head has quieted way down.

[cuadrado]

I wonder if the people who reported doing IF are people who also yo-yo diet. Studies show people who yo-yo diet and weight cycle tend to have worse health outcomes across the board.