Report: Fasting may help reduce risk of heart disease

According to a new report, the key to preventing heart failure may be fasting.

Scientists with the Intermountain Healthcare Heart Institute in Salt Lake City, Utah studied 2,000 heart patients for two years and followed up with them for another four.

Results showed that those fasting regularly had a higher survival rate than those who did not.

Fasting can lower certain blood and hormone levels, along with regulating metabolism. Long, low-frequency fasting was seen as being just as effective as fasting rapidly. 

Fasting was defined as skipping food or calories for up to 24 hours, or limiting eating from 7 a.m. to 3 p.m.

Anyone taking medications for diabetes, blood pressure or heart disease should only fast under a doctor’s care.