Ramadan 2024: Major study shows fasting can kill you — here’s what experts say

People who follow intermittent fasting diets in Ramadan restrict the times that they eat rather than cutting out certain foods or restricting calories.

Intermittent fasting is an alternative to traditional dieting. Many of the studies were done on animals rather than humans for intermittent fasting. As a result, research on intermittent fasting has yielded mixed results.

In addition, it works as well or better for weight loss than calorie restriction as per some studies.

Intermittent fasting has also been linked to everything from a longer life span to clearer thinking. Moreover, as per some evidence, it might improve insulin resistance to help prevent or counteract diabetes.

It also improves blood pressure and checks triglycerides and cholesterol, for benefits of heart health.

It's important to point out that this doesn't mean intermittent fasting is a cause of death, study author, Victor Wenze Zhong, chair of the department of epidemiology and biostatistics at the Shanghai Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, noted in a press release.

Though, this form of fasting is not deadly but has a number of detrimental health effects.

“Short-term fasting can trigger the same fat-burning process as keto diets, which has been linked to health risks when used long term. Some research suggests that 24-hour fasting may lead to muscle loss”, Courtney Peterson, associate professor of nutrition sciences at the University of Alabama Birmingham, told Yahoo Life.