Intermittent Fasting: A Heart Healthy Dietary Pattern?

Overview

Journal Am J Med

Specialty General Medicine

Date 2020 Apr 25

PMID 32330491

Citations 84

Authors

Tiffany A Dong

Pratik B Sandesara

Devinder S Dhindsa

Anurag Mehta

Laura C Arneson

Allen L Dollar

Pam R Taub

Laurence S Sperling

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Dietary patterns, such as the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) and the Mediterranean diet, have been shown to improve cardiac health. Intermittent fasting is another type of popular dietary pattern that is based on timed periods of fasting. Two different regimens are alternative day fasting and time-restricted eating. Although there are no large, randomized control trials examining the relationship between intermittent fasting and cardiovascular outcomes, current human studies that suggest this diet could reduce the risk for cardiovascular disease with improvement in weight control, hypertension, dyslipidemia, and diabetes. Intermittent fasting may exert its effects through multiple pathways, including reducing oxidative stress, optimization of circadian rhythms, and ketogenesis. This review evaluates current literature regarding the potential cardiovascular benefits of intermittent fasting and proposes directions for future research.

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