ORLANDO, Fla. (Ivanhoe Newswire) — According to a new study published in the journal of the American Medical Association, the number of Americans living with obesity is expected to rise by 19 million and affect nearly 126 million people by 2035! Experts say intermittent fasting is a good way to lose weight. While there are benefits, there are some things to be aware of.
If you’re not reaching the number on the scale you want, you cut back on what you eat. And intermittent fasting is a popular way. More than 13% of Americans have tried it.
“You eat only in a particular number of hours for the day,” described Tara Collingwood, registered dietitian nutritionist at Diet Diva.
Time-restricted eating, or TRE, is a form of this fasting. But new German research found that it doesn’t improve metabolic health.
“If someone is going to eat later in the day, that tends to be a little bit worse for your metabolism and for your risk of disease,” explained Collingwood.
In fact, a study by the American Heart Association concluded that eight-hour time-restricted eating is linked to a 91% higher risk of cardiovascular death. And while experts say some long fasting may enhance cognition, shorter fasting appears ineffective, especially for those with cognitive decline.
What about long-term weight loss? Collingwood says the long-term effects of intermittent fasting are unknown, so it’s still important to watch your calories.
“It’s the reduction in calories that causes the weight loss, not necessarily eating in a shorter period of time,” she said.
Check with your doctor if you’re diabetic or have specific health risks.
A 2025 small study in the British Journal of Cancer further suggested that a version of the 5-2 method of intermittent fasting might let women with metastatic breast cancer live longer. For the women on the diet, it took on average 42 weeks for their cancer to progress compared to 28 weeks for those not on the diet, but experts say this still needs to be confirmed by larger studies.
Contributors to this news report include: Cliff Tumetel, Producer; Shay Goldschmidt, Videographer; & Chuck Bennethum, Editor.
Sources:
https://abcnews.go.com/US/obesity-rise-19-million-affect-126-million-american/story?id=129652323
https://www.nytimes.com/2026/01/26/well/eat/intermittent-fasting.html
* For More Information, Contact: Tara Collingwood
Registered Dietitian Nutritionist at Diet Diva
(321) 287-8834
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