Intermittent Fasting Much More Dangerous Than You Think?

Chances are you know at least a little about intermittent fasting. This phenomenon has been sweeping the internet like wildfire in recent years, and some major celebrities have touted it as an easy and effective way to lose weight.

However, what if this surefire way of melting the pounds away was secretly dangerous? In fact, what if it’s very likely to kill you? That may sound unbelievable, but a recent study has changed almost everything we know about this diet technique.

What do you need to know in order to keep yourself and your family safe? Keep reading to find out!

What is intermittent fasting?

Intermittent fasting is, on paper, one of the simplest ways to lose weight. With this technique, you actually skip out on eating the standard three meals a day. Instead, you eat in a limited window, thereby reducing your calories (more on this later).

There are many different ways to try this form of fasting, but the most popular one involves eating for eight hours a day. That typically means skipping breakfast, eating whatever you want (within reason) for lunch and dinner, and not eating after dinner. When ideally combined with going to bed at a reasonable hour, this technique allows you to condense the usual 12-16 hours of daily eating down to a mere eight.

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How does this fasting work?

It’s one thing to know how to begin intermittent fasting, but why does it work so well in helping you lose weight? It all comes down to two simple words: “calorie reduction.”

While it’s easier for those with better metabolism, the formula for losing weight is always the same: you need to burn more calories than you take in. Even if you don’t limit what you eat, eating only two meals a day will naturally limit your caloric intake. And if you stick to fasting, that means cutting out things like late-night drinks and snacks whose calories add up.

Ultimately, this method helps you naturally lower how many calories you take in. But what most people really love about it is that intermittent fasting typically doesn’t require you to exercise. Instead, your body will naturally burn more calories than it takes in, helping you lose weight quickly.

Famous faces endorse this method of losing weight

One reason intermittent fasting became so popular is that so many different celebrities have endorsed it. This includes celebs like Hugh Jackman, Terry Crews, Jennifer Lopez, Beyoncé, and many more.

The word of the celebs carries a lot of weight (no pun intended) because they often have to maintain a certain level of physical fitness for their many thrilling performances. Skeptics of intermittent fasting are typically won over by the fact that celebs who have millions of dollars riding on the line are using this to control their own weight. However, we can’t help but wonder how many celebs will still endorse intermittent fasting after they discover this shocking new study.

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A shocking new study

According to a study presented at AHA’s Epidemiology and Prevention conference, those who engage in intermittent fasting and only eat eight hours a day (the most common form of this fasting) are 91 percent likelier to die from cardiovascular disease. These findings shocked even the researchers who performed the study!

What about those who already have cardiovascular disease, though? Researchers found that such participants who ate between 8-10 hours a day were 66 percent likelier to die from either a stroke or heart disease.

Short-term benefits versus long-term drawbacks

For many who want to lose weight, this study presents a unique conundrum. For example, nobody is saying intermittent fasting won’t help you lose weight. In fact, it remains one of the easiest and most reliable ways to lose a few pounds and get back into your favorite clothes that had stopped fitting.

The study points out that losing weight is a short-term benefit, but the increased risk of death by cardiovascular disease is highly increased in the long-term. That may mean those who are trying to improve their health may have to find alternatives to intermittent fasting if they still want to lose the weight and keep it off. 

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What should you do instead of intermittent fasting?

Let’s say that you’ve been intermittent fasting but, based on this study, you want to stop. What should you do instead that is safer and will still help you lose weight?

As we said before, losing weight is a math equation, and it all comes down to burning more calories than you take in. With careful meal planning, you can spread the same amount of calories you normally get from intermittent fasting across three meals a day. Alternatively, you can increase how much and how intensely you exercise, which remains a very effective way to burn calories and achieve a better, healthier you.