"Should Seniors Avoid It? Praised as a Health Secret, Now Faces a Surprising Warning [Experiment Note]"

Faster Accumulation of Chronic Diseases Observed in Those Fasting for 14 Hours or More
Strongest Association Found Among Adults Aged 78 and Older

Intermittent fasting, which involves maintaining a prolonged fasting period, is considered one of the representative methods for health management. This approach restricts eating to certain windows each day or involves finishing dinner early and maintaining fasting until the following day. Studies showing that intermittent fasting can aid not only in weight loss but also in improving metabolic health have been published in succession, leading to a rise in the number of people attempting this regimen.

But is a longer fasting period always beneficial as we age? Recent research has revealed somewhat different findings. Among the elderly, those who had longer intervals between meals tended to experience a more rapid accumulation of various chronic diseases. Notably, this correlation was most pronounced in individuals aged 78 and older.

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Spanish Research Team Tracks 2,981 People Aged 60 or Older

Researchers at the Karolinska Institutet in Sweden recently published the results of a study in the Journal of Internal Medicine, an international academic journal, analyzing the relationship between meal intervals and the incidence of chronic diseases in the elderly.

The primary focus for the research team was not the total number of meals per day, but rather the longest period in a day when participants refrained from eating—referred to as the "fasting period." The study utilized data from SNAC-K, a long-term Swedish cohort study on aging and care. At the beginning of the research, 2,981 individuals aged 60 and above living in Stockholm were included, and the researchers followed them for up to 15 years.

Participants were asked to self-report the timing of their meals during a 24-hour period, and the researchers then calculated the longest meal interval each day. For example, if someone finished dinner at 6 p.m. and had their first meal at 8 a.m. the next day, their longest meal interval would be about 14 hours.

Fasting for More Than 14 Hours Linked to Faster Increase in Chronic Diseases

The results showed that individuals whose longest daily meal interval was between 14 and 24 hours tended to accumulate chronic diseases more rapidly over time than those whose meal interval was between 6 and 11.5 hours. This phenomenon was not limited to a single disease. The association between prolonged meal intervals and rapid accumulation of diseases was seen not only in the total number of chronic diseases but also specifically in cardiovascular and neuropsychiatric diseases. However, no such association was observed for musculoskeletal disorders.

There were also differences according to age. The relationship between long fasting periods and faster accumulation of chronic diseases was most pronounced among those aged 78 and above within the elderly group.

Adrian Carbayo Casla, postdoctoral researcher at the Karolinska Institutet and lead author of the study, explained, "Most previous research on fasting has focused on younger or middle-aged populations," adding, "These new results show that in older adults, the relationship between fasting and health may be different."

The researchers did not determine the exact reason why longer fasting periods in the elderly were associated with an increased incidence of chronic diseases. However, as muscle mass tends to decrease and vulnerability to nutritional deficiencies increases with age, it is possible that prolonged periods without food may have had an impact.

Other factors may also have influenced the results, such as the possibility that people in poorer health with lower appetites naturally had longer meal intervals. The researchers also emphasized that these findings alone cannot prove that long meal intervals are a direct cause of increased chronic disease in the elderly.

This study shows that the relationship between the same eating pattern and health may vary depending on age. Especially for the elderly, rather than simply increasing fasting periods, it appears more important to get adequate nutrition and find a meal pattern that fits one's individual health status.

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