Intermittent Fasting and Heart Disease: Surprising Risks, Benefits and What Doctors Say
Experts reveal the truth behind fasting’s effects on your heart health
Intermittent fasting has been shown to effectively boost weight loss, especially when paired with a balanced diet and regular physical activity. However, research has been somewhat inconclusive regarding the eating pattern’s long-term impact on heart health—particularly whether it increases or reduces the risk of cardiovascular disease. Here, experts break down the facts and share everything you should know about heart disease and intermittent fasting.
What research says about intermittent fasting and heart disease
Does intermittent fasting improve heart health or harm it? There have been conflicting studies on its impact on cardiovascular health over the years, so it’s understandable why there’s confusion around the topic.
In 2024, a study of over 20,000 adults found that those who followed a time-restricted diet schedule and limited food intake to an eight-hour eating window (one of the most common types of intermittent fasting) had a 91 percent higher risk of death from cardiovascular disease (CVD).
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Contrastingly, a large analysis of studies in 2024 provides evidence suggesting that fasting is beneficial in lowering heart disease risk by improving lipid profiles, metabolic syndrome indicators and insulin resistance, as well as lowering body weight and inflammatory markers.
These results were consistent across intermittent fasting (IF), continuous fasting, calorie restriction, protein restriction and time-restricted eating.
The pros and cons of fasting for heart health
There are possible benefits—and drawbacks—of intermittent fasting when it comes to your risk of heart disease, confirms Jennifer Cheng, DO, Chief of Endocrinology at Hackensack Meridian Jersey Shore University Medical Center. Here’s what to know:
Pro: Weight loss can reduce CVD risk
“Intermittent fasting helps with weight loss if implemented correctly,” says Dr. Cheng. “There are different methods of doing intermittent fasting, and if done with a caloric restriction/deficit, then it may lead to weight loss. If it’s successful, then that weight loss, reduced body fat, less cholesterol, lower blood pressure and less insulin resistance will help with heart disease.”
Diabetes also presents cardiovascular risk, she adds. Losing weight may help reduce insulin resistance, leading to better blood sugar control, lower blood pressure and healthier cholesterol levels.
Pro: Less inflammation may protect heart health
Intermittent fasting could also potentially help reduce the oxidative stress, which plays a role in heart disease. It can also help change the gut microbiota to reduce inflammation and improve overall metabolic health, notes Dr. Cheng.
Additionally, it may stimulate adaptive autophagy, a process that removes damaged cells and promotes cellular repair, which may help protect against heart disease, she explains.
Con: Fasting may hinder sleep quality and cause hypotension
As for the areas of concern about intermittent fasting, research suggests it may disrupt sleep, and poor sleep quality is linked to heart disease, says Dr. Cheng. Also, if not implemented correctly, fasting may lead to nutritional deficiencies and sudden bouts of low blood pressure (orthostatic hypotension), she adds.
Should you try fasting for heart health? Doctors weigh in
“While intermittent fasting may be beneficial to certain individuals, I can not recommend it for everyone since there are individual differences that people should review with their primary care doctor or cardiologist,” says Dr. Cheng. “Careful consideration for sleep, medication timing and effect on other medications need to be considered.”
There are no long-term data studies for intermittent fasting and heart disease, she notes, but if fasting is approved by your physician, she advises staying hydrated throughout the day, starting slowly and gradually increasing your fasting window.
An alternative to fasting for heart disease prevention
There is also a different dietary approach that Mohanankrishnan Sathyamoorthy, MD, Chair of Internal Medicine at Burnett School of Medicine at TCU, points to as a more effective method.
“Limiting our caloric intake and focusing those calories on the most nutritionally-beneficial foods is the best dietary step we can take toward great heart health overall and excellent general health,” he says.
Additionally, Dr. Sathyamoorthy emphasizes that it is crucial to combine a nutrient-dense diet with daily physical exercise—which should include balancing aerobic activity and light weights or resistance training—for optimal heart health.
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