Adults who restrict their food intake to eight hours or less per day are almost twice as likely to die from heart disease than those following a typical eating pattern, show “surprising” results from a study.

The US and Chinese researchers said their preliminary findings “do not support long-term use” of the 16:8 pattern of time-restricted dieting for preventing cardiovascular disease (CVD) deaths.

“Even though this type of diet has been popular due to its potential short-term benefits, our research clearly shows that … a shorter eating duration was not associated with living longer,” said senior author Dr Victor Zhong (PhD) from Shanghai Jiao Tong University.

The preliminary findings, which are yet to published in a peer-reviewed journal, were presented last week at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology and Prevention — Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Scientific Sessions.