6 exercises that will eliminate the stomach (photo: Eden Bibbs)
An intermittent fasting diet—one of the most popular and popular diets—may actually increase your risk of early death.
A study of 24,000 Americans over the age of 40 found that those who ate one meal a day had a 30% higher risk of dying from any cause in 15 years than those who ate three meals a day.
Intermittent fasting—which means eating in a strict time window or skipping meals altogether—became one of the hottest diet tools in the early 2010s.
Celebrities like Kourtney Kardashian, Jennifer Aniston and Mark Wahlberg testified that it made them shed a lot of pounds from their bodies.
Ironically, one of the main benefits cited by the diet's followers as well as studies on the subject, is longevity and a link to a lower risk of multiple diseases.
In the latest study, skipping breakfast was associated with a higher risk of death from heart disease, while skipping lunch or breakfast increased the chance of all-cause mortality.
The results remained even if people exercised, ate healthily and smoked less or drank alcohol, the researchers say.
According to them, those who follow the diet usually consume a relatively large amount of food in one go, which over time may damage the body's cells.
The team cautions that it is still too early to say for sure that fasting played a role in the early deaths because they cannot rule out lifestyle and other genetic factors
A fan of the diet.
Jennifer Aniston (Photo: GettyImages)
The study, conducted by researchers from the University of Tennessee, found that three meals a day are the key to a longer life.
But the study found that eating them too close together was also associated with an increased risk of early death.
Like their theory about fasting, the team believes that eating too much food, too quickly, puts a metabolic strain on the body.
Lead author of the new study Professor Yangbo Sun, from the University of Tennessee, said: "At a time when intermittent fasting is being touted as a solution for weight loss, metabolic health and disease prevention, our study is important for the large segment of American adults who eat less than three meals each day."
"Our study found that people who ate only one meal a day were more likely to die than those who ate more daily meals." Among them, participants who skipped breakfast were more likely to develop fatal cardiovascular diseases, while those who skipped lunch or dinner increased their risk of death For all reasons.
Based on these findings, we recommend eating at least two to three meals spread throughout the day.'" In the
study, published in the Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Diabetics, the team analyzed data from 24,011 people over 40 from across the United States.
who had already participated in a nationally representative survey conducted between 1999 and 2014 and asked them about nutrition, general health, diseases and behaviors every two years.
40 percent of the participants ate less than three meals a day, on average.
Their survey responses were taken alongside their medical records.
There were a total of 4,175 deaths at the end of the study, including 878 caused by heart problems.
Compared to participants who ate three meals a day, consuming just one meal was associated with a 30 percent increased risk of all-cause mortality and an 83 percent increased risk of death from heart disease.
People who skipped breakfast had a 40 percent increased risk of dying from heart disease compared to those who didn't, but there was no difference in all-cause mortality.
Too much energy
However, people who missed lunch or dinner were 12 to 16 percent more likely to die from any cause.
People who ate three meals a day but had an average gap of less than four and a half hours between at least two of those had a 17% increased risk of all-cause mortality, compared to people who split the intervals.
Eating out for five hours or more.
"Our results are significant even after adjustments for dietary and lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity levels, energy intake and diet quality) and food insecurity. Our findings are based on observations taken from public data and do not imply causality. Nevertheless, what we observed makes sense in exchange the materials".
The researchers explained that skipping meals usually means consuming a larger energy load at once, which can exacerbate the burden of regulating glucose metabolism and lead to subsequent metabolic deterioration.
This could also explain the relationship between a shorter meal interval and mortality, since a shorter time between meals will result in a greater energy load in the given period. "Our study contributes much-needed evidence regarding the relationship between eating behaviors and mortality in the context of meal timing and the duration of the daily eating period."
health
Nutrition and diet
Tags
diet
diet
Intermittent fasting
death
