Time-restricted eating, a common weight-loss strategy often known as intermittent fasting, has been linked to a significantly higher risk of cardiovascular death.

In a study published by the American Heart Association (AHA), a group of 20,000 adults who followed an eight-hour time-restricted eating schedule were found to have a 91% higher risk of dying from heart disease compared to those who spread out their meals across 12 to 16 hours.

The findings were presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention│Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Scientific Sessions last week in Chicago, although the study has not yet been peer-reviewed.

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Here are more details. 

What is time-restricted eating?

There are several types of intermittent fasting — but they all follow the same concept of alternating between fasting and eating. 

With a time-restricted approach, the dieter only eats during a certain window. 

For example, with the 16/8 method, the person fasts for 16 hours and then can eat within an eight-hour span, between 10 a.m. and 6 p.m. 

Other versions involve fasting for a full 24 hours once or twice per week — or only consuming limited calories on fasting days.

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Previous studies have found that time-restricted eating can improve key measures related to heart health, including blood pressure, blood glucose and cholesterol levels, the AHA noted in a press release.

“Restricting daily eating time to a short period, such as eight hours per day, has gained popularity in recent years as a way to lose weight and improve heart health,” said senior study author Victor Wenze Zhong, PhD, a professor and chair of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in Shanghai, China, in the release. 

“However, the long-term health effects of time-restricted eating, including the risk of death from any cause or cardiovascular disease, are unknown.”

What are the study details?

Researchers from the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine in Shanghai, China, analyzed information from the annual 2003-2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys (NHANES).

They compared it to causes of death logged by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) between 2003 and December 2019.

In a new study published by the American Heart Association (AHA), a group of 20,000 adults who followed an eight-hour time-restricted eating schedule were found to have a 91% higher risk of dying from heart disease compared to those who spread out their meals across 12 to 16 hours. (iStock)

People who ate all daily food in a window of less than eight hours had the highest (91%) risk of cardiovascular death, followed by those who ate in a window of between eight and 10 hours (a 66% risk).

The higher risk of heart-related deaths was also seen in those who had existing heart disease or cancer, the release stated.

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“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 to 16 hours per day, a shorter eating duration was not associated with living longer,” Zhong said in the release.

Researchers followed the participants for an average of eight years, with some followed for as long as 17 years.

The average age of the participants was 49. 

Researchers followed them for an average of eight years, with some followed for as long as 17 years.

What are the study’s limitations?

Dr. Lou Vadlamani — a cardiologist and founder of VitalSolution, an Ohio-based company that offers cardiovascular and anesthesiology services to hospitals nationwide — was not involved in the study but offered his insights on the findings.

“As with all studies, the devil is in the details,” he said. “While this study provides some fuel for discussion and encourages further studies, it is far from conclusive.”

The fasting habits were based on just two days of recorded eating habits, Vadlamani noted — and it hinged on the recollections of the participants.

“There was no documentation of what the participants ate while they weren’t fasting or what their activity levels were.” Also, the timing of the fasting — whether it was done during the daytime or nighttime — was not clear. (iStock)

“There was no documentation of what the participants ate while they weren’t fasting or what their activity levels were,” he noted.

The timing of the fasting — whether it was daytime or nighttime — was also not clear.

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“To conclusively say with any confidence that fasting has a direct impact in rates of heart attack would be a stretch,” the cardiologist said.

“It certainly raises a lot of questions and supports the need for a more comprehensive study, since intermittent fasting has become so common.”

Registered dietitian Lauren Harris-Pincus, author of “The Everything Easy Pre-Diabetes Cookbook,” cautioned that this research has not yet been fully published and peer-reviewed — which means a complete analysis of its findings is “premature.”

“There seems to be an important change between the short-term benefits of the time-restricted diet and the long-term risks.”

She was also not involved in the study.

“While this may suggest a correlation between intermittent fasting and death from cardiovascular disease, that does not prove causation,” the New Jersey-based expert told Fox News Digital.

“There seems to be an important distinction between the short-term benefits of the time-restricted diet and the long-term risks.”

She added, “The conclusions counteract the positive benefits of time-restricted eating in a body of previous research, plus the data was based on self-reported dietary records at a few points in time.”

Anyone with medical conditions should speak to their physician or registered dietitian before starting a restrictive diet, experts said.  (iStock)

It’s not known whether the participants continued time-restricted eating for the duration of the study period, Harris-Pincus pointed out. And self-reported food intake can be affected by memory lapses or unintentional inaccuracies. 

“It also did not evaluate additional lifestyle factors that play a role in overall health,” she said.

Anyone with medical conditions should speak to their physician or registered dietitian before starting any restrictive diet, Harris-Pincus recommended. 

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She added, “Intermittent fasting is not appropriate for people with a history of disordered eating or active eating disorder, those with hypoglycemia or Type 1 diabetes on insulin, children under 18, pregnant or breastfeeding women, and more.” 

Despite the limitations, Tanya Freirich, a registered dietitian nutritionist in North Carolina who works as The Lupus Dietitian, said the study is a “very important addition” to the current data on time-restricted eating. 

“Additionally, while we don’t learn the details of the participants’ diet in the study, what you eat is incredibly important as well.”

“In the past, there have been many benefits noted with time-restricted eating; however, this study is perfect proof that more is not always better,” Freirich, who was not involved in the study, told Fox News Digital. 

“There seems to be an important distinction between the short-term benefits of the time-restricted diet and the long-term risks.”

The study reinforces the importance of receiving personalized nutrition advice, according to Freirich.

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“For people on certain medications or for people who have difficulty maintaining stable blood sugar, blood pressure, or hydration, time-restricted eating may be too difficult to maintain and detrimental to their health,” she cautioned.

“Additionally, while we don’t learn the details of the participants’ diet in the study, what you eat is incredibly important as well.”

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In light of this new research available, Freirich advised that people following a time-restricted eating pattern check in with their doctor and assess their cardiovascular health.  

Fox News Digital reached out to the American Heart Association and the study researchers for additional comments.

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• The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has proposed banning electrical stimulation devices designed to reduce self-injurious or aggressive behavior.
• The FDA cited these devices as posing an unreasonable risk of illness or injury.
• Electrical stimulation devices administer shocks through skin-attached electrodes to deter self-harm or aggression.

The U.S. Food and Drug Administration said on Monday it has proposed a ban on electrical stimulation devices intended to reduce or stop self-injurious or aggressive behavior.

The health regulator said these devices present an unreasonable and substantial risk of illness or injury that cannot be corrected or eliminated through new or updated device labeling.

Electrical stimulation devices administer electrical shocks through electrodes attached to the skin to deter self-injurious or aggressive behavior.

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The FDA has information to indicate that only one facility is currently using these devices in the United States, which is the Judge Rotenberg Education Center in Canton, Massachusetts.

The center did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

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This is the second time the FDA has proposed a ban of these devices. Its first ban in 2020 was challenged in court and annulled, the agency said.

A simple blood test could detect colorectal cancer (CRC) with more than 80% accuracy, according to a new study from the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Seattle, Washington. 

The study, published in The New England Journal of Medicine, included nearly 8,000 people between the ages of 45 and 84, a press release stated. 

The results from the SHIELD blood test — which is made by Guardant, a pharmaceutical company in Palo Alto, California — were compared to the results from a colonoscopy procedure, the latter of which is considered the “gold standard for colorectal cancer screening,” the release said.

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Among the participants who had colorectal cancer cases that were confirmed by colonoscopy, just over 83% tested positive through the blood test and 16.9% had a negative test. 

The SHIELD test works by picking up signs of colorectal cancer from DNA that is shed by tumors, which is called circulating tumor DNA (ctDNA).

The test performed the best at picking up colorectal cancers and was less effective at detecting precancerous lesions, the researchers found.

The SHIELD blood test is intended for use as a colorectal cancer screening for people who are of “average risk” and are not experiencing symptoms, noted study co-author William M. Grady, M.D., a gastroenterologist at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center in Washington.

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“The accuracy rate for colorectal cancer is similar to at-home stool tests used for early detection of colorectal cancer,” Grady told Fox News Digital.

The study did have some limitations, he acknowledged.

“The study was done [among] average-risk people, and that’s who the test is meant for,” he said.  

The new blood test is intended for use as a colorectal cancer screening for people who are of “average risk” — and who are not experiencing symptoms. (iStock)

The test is not currently meant to be used in high-risk people, such as those with a family history of colorectal cancer, personal history of colorectal cancer or inflammatory bowel disease, he clarified.

The state of colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is the second most lethal cancer in the U.S.  

It’s expected to claim 53,010 lives in 2024, according to the American Cancer Society (ACS).

People who are at average risk should start regular screenings at age 45, the ACS recommends.

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“Colorectal cancer is largely preventable, and there are currently available screening tests such as colonoscopy, FIT stool tests and the MT stool DNA test that can prevent it,” he said. 

The problem, Grady noted, is that some 40% to 50% of people who should be getting screened are not doing so.

“Blood-based screening tests are more acceptable to people than colonoscopy and stool tests and will likely increase screening compliance.” (iStock)

The hope is that a blood-based test would help boost screening rates.

“Blood-based screening tests are more acceptable to people than colonoscopy and stool tests and likely will increase screening compliance,” Grady said. “This could lead to fewer CRC-related deaths.”

Some doctors have voiced concerns about the effectiveness of the blood test — particularly its lower sensitivity to pre-cancerous symptoms.

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“Due to insufficient adenoma detection, these new blood-based tests will not be as effective as Cologuard [the stool sample test], even when their adherence is perfect, compared to current adherence of Cologuard,” said Dr. Mark Fendrick of the University of Michigan School of Public Health, in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

Fendrick was not involved in the NEJM study.

“Having data on a new blood-based screening test for colorectal cancer is exciting. If approved, it will help identify people who will need to undergo colonoscopy to confirm the diagnosis and ultimately help save lives.” (iStock)

The American Gastroenterological Association released a statement in response to the NEJM study.

“Having data on a new blood-based screening test for colorectal cancer is exciting. If approved, it will help identify people who will need to undergo colonoscopy to confirm the diagnosis and ultimately help save lives,” said Barbara H. Jung, M.D., president of the American Gastroenterological Association, in a statement provided to Fox News Digital.

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The association warned, however, that blood tests do not pick up precancerous polyps — which colonoscopies can detect.

“The blood test reported in the New England Journal of Medicine study is only designed to pick up cancers and not precancerous polyps,” Jung noted.

Blood tests, however, do not pick up precancerous polyps, which colonoscopies can detect.

“Blood tests are not interchangeable with colonoscopy for colorectal cancer screening, but should prove to be an additional tool to help identify colorectal cancer early.”

Blood tests could be recommended for patients who decline all other recommended tests, Jung noted — “since any screening is better than no screening at all.”

One expert said that blood tests could be recommended for patients who decline all other recommended tests — “since any screening is better than no screening at all.” (iStock)

Those who are interested in the SHIELD blood test should consult with their primary care provider, Grady said.

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“This is significant given that at this time, when people are given the option of doing CRC screening with a stool-based test or with colonoscopy, currently half of people are electing to do neither,” he added.

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As marijuana legalization heats up the competition among vendors nationwide, some experts are warning about the sneaky side effects of smoking it.

Daily weed smoking could cause complications for heart health, according to a new study published in the Journal of the American Heart Association.

Researchers at the University of California San Francisco (UCSF) analyzed CDC data from 434,104 respondents to examine how cannabis use was associated with cardiovascular events.

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The impact of cannabis on the risks of having coronary heart disease, acute myocardial infarction and stroke were compared between those in the general adult population and those who had never smoked tobacco.

Of those surveyed, about 4% were daily cannabis smokers, 7.1% were non-daily users and 88.9% had not used any marijuana in the past 30 days.

Daily cannabis users had a 25% increased risk of heart attack and a 42% increased risk of stroke, the study found.

Cannabis use was associated with “adverse cardiovascular outcomes, with heavier use (more days per month) associated with higher odds of adverse outcomes,” the researchers stated.

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Study co-author Dr. Abra Jeffers of Massachusetts General Hospital shared her reaction to the study findings with Fox News Digital.

“People think marijuana is harmless. It is not,” she said. “We found that using marijuana (mostly by smoking) is as bad as smoking tobacco cigarettes.”

Cannabis use was associated with “adverse cardiovascular outcomes, with heavier use (more days per month) associated with higher odds of adverse outcomes,” the researchers said. (KENA BETANCUR/AFP via Getty Images)

“While we reported the results for daily use, any use increases risk — with more days of use per month associated with higher risk.”

Recreational cannabis use is currently permitted in 24 states, according to a UCSF press release.

As of 2019, nearly 4% of Americans reported using cannabis daily, while 18% said they use it annually. 

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Senior study author Salomeh Keyhani, M.D., professor of medicine at UCSF, wrote in the same press release that “cannabis use is increasing in both prevalence and frequency, while conventional tobacco smoking is declining.”

She added, “Cannabis use by itself might, over time, become the more important risk factor.”

“People think marijuana is harmless. It is not,” a doctor told Fox News Digital. (iStock)

University of Colorado School of Medicine professor Dr. Robert Page serves as the American Heart Association chair for the statement on these findings.

In an interview with Fox News Digital, Page said the study is “unique” in that it looked at cannabis smokers separately from tobacco users.

“Cannabis is not an innocent bystander when it comes to cardiovascular health,” he said.

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He emphasized the importance of the “safety signals” that have emerged from the study.

This includes the need for patients to be “more transparent” about their cannabis use with their health care providers, while providers should be “nonjudgmental.”

He added, “There needs to be shared decision-making between the patient and the provider with regard to cannabis use. Patient-centered, non-judgmental conversations are what is really needed.”

Patients should be “more transparent” about their cannabis use with their health care providers, while providers should be “nonjudgmental,” one doctor (not pictured) emphasized. (iStock)

This is especially important if a patient has an underlying heart condition or has experienced a cardiovascular event while using cannabis without disclosing it.

What was “scary” about this study, Page said, is that most respondents were “fairly healthy.”

The largest segment of daily weed smokers ranged from ages 18 to 34.

“Cannabis is not an innocent bystander when it comes to cardiovascular health.”

“Those are the individuals who typically don’t go to their primary care doctor because they’re young and they think they’re invincible,” he said. “And that’s what alarms me.”

Many of Page’s patients, who have the ability to smoke weed freely in the state of Colorado, assume that because it’s a natural substance, it “has to be safe,” he said.

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“That is the farthest from the truth,” he told Fox News Digital. “Cannabinoids have what we call psychotropic effects that affect your perception … and mental status. And like prescription medications that are psychotropic, they carry side effects.”

Page added, “We do need to get out to the public the fact that there is a potential for these types of cardiovascular events and people need to make an informed decision.”

The doctor said he’s concerned that smoking weed will repeat the history of smoking cigarettes — the dangers of which took a “really long time to cement into public health.”

Various types of marijuana are displayed in Los Angeles, California. (David McNew/Getty Images)

Other cannabis consumption methods, such as edibles, were not a focus in this study, Page noted, adding that there is “not a lot of data” on the safety of those products.

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For people who use medical marijuana under the supervision of a physician, Page reiterated the importance of weighing the risks and benefits with the medical provider.

“Adult consumers in states with modern cannabis laws have the option to legally choose the safer substance.”

In a statement sent to Fox News Digital, the National Cannabis Industry Association pointed out that another study published by the American Heart Association in January 2024 found “no significant correlation between cannabis use and cardiovascular disease-related deaths over the last two decades, while alcohol was linked to 65% of deaths.”

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The organization said, “This report, along with many others, shows that while cannabis use is not entirely benign, it is clearly safer than alcohol.”

It added, “Adult consumers in states with modern cannabis laws have the option to legally choose the safer substance, and it’s time for federal law to catch up to those state laws.”

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