When Intermittent Fasting Goes Wrong

As a diet where you eat only within a limited window of time (generally 8 hours) and fast for the remaining hours of the day, intermittent fasting is touted as an effective way to control or lose weight and positively affect both long- and short-term health. However, findings from the University of Toronto have linked intermittent fasting to dangerous eating disorder attitudes and behaviors among adolescents and young adults.

The study, published in Eating Behaviors, encompassed data from more than 2,700 individuals in these age groups originally collected by the Canadian Study of Adolescent Health Behaviors. Findings showed that intermittent fasting was quite popular among the participants: 47% of the women, 38% of the men, and 52% of the transgender or gender nonconforming individuals engaged in the diet over the prior year for an average of 100 days.

Other results revealed that intermittent fasting was significantly associated with disordered eating behaviors. For men and women, that included compulsive exercise, with women also engaging in binge-eat-ing and vomiting. The study authors believe these findings should serve as a warning to health professionals regarding recommending fasting to young adults as a means to better health and weight management, especially for anyone with a history of an eating disorder.

See also: 5 Meal-Timing Myths Exposed