Many people firmly believe that many diseases are actually caused by diet. But what will happen if you don’t eat? In fact, there are people who have tried this extreme method.
Chen Abao, 63 years old, was diagnosed with high blood lipids and atherosclerosis of the carotid artery two years ago. In order to improve his health, Chen Abao tried various methods. This year, despite his family’s opposition, he decided to persist in not having dinner. Six months later, with great anticipation, Chen Abao went to the hospital for a check-up, but the results stunned him.
Can not eating dinner really clear plaques from the blood vessels and soften them? Perhaps Chen Abao’s experience can give us some insights.
1. What happened to the 63-year-old man who persisted in not eating dinner for half a year?
After being diagnosed with high blood lipids and carotid artery atherosclerosis, Chen Abao always listened to the doctor and his son. Besides taking medicine on time every day, he even corrected his habit of drinking alcohol.
However, what disappointed Chen Abao was that even after quitting drinking for so long, the improvement in plaques and blood lipids in his body was very slow. Over time, Chen Abao began to doubt the doctor, and even started taking hospital medicines intermittently.
Upon hearing Chen Abao’s complaints, Aunt Wang enthusiastically gave advice, “High blood lipids are caused by diet, right? Why don’t you try not eating dinner, after all, losing weight can definitely be beneficial for your health.”
Chen Abao was skeptical, “Can it really work?”
“Why not, isn’t there a saying ‘Don’t eat in the afternoon’?” Aunt Wang said convincingly. Chen Abao, persuaded by Aunt Wang’s words, decided to act on it and didn’t eat dinner that night. Chen Abao’s son was worried upon hearing this, but Chen Abao didn’t listen to anything.
Six months later, when Chen Abao went for a check-up with great anticipation, the results were even worse than before.
The doctor, holding the examination results, scolded Chen Abao’s son, “How could you let your father do such foolish things? Now the disease is not cured, and he even got gastritis!”
Watching the sighing doctor, Chen Abao truly had no words to express his suffering. He had wasted six months of enduring hunger!
Coincidentally, during the time when Chen Abao did not eat dinner, a study was exploring the effects of fasting on human health.
On March 18, 2024, a new study reported by the team of Professor Zhong Wenze from the School of Medicine at Shanghai Jiaotong University at the 2024 AHA EPI Lifestyle Science Conference in the United States showed: people using the time-restricted fasting model, their risk of death from cardiovascular disease almost doubles or more.
Currently, this study has only been reported at the meeting, has not been peer-reviewed, and has not been published. So we maintain a reserved attitude towards this research result, but combined with Chen Abao’s story, we can still draw inspiration:
Not all health practices are perfect. Everyone who wants to achieve their own physical health ultimately needs to make a health plan based on their own physical condition with the help of a doctor. Otherwise, it will only backfire like in Chen Abao’s case.
2. Peking Union Medical College study: Skipping dinner for weight loss and blood sugar reduction!
Chen Abao did not go through scientific fasting, which led to a deterioration in his health. But does this prove that “Don’t eat in the afternoon” is wrong?
Not really, in fact, many studies in the medical community have validated the benefits of intermittent fasting for human health. In 2022, researchers from Peking Union Medical College studied this topic with 90 healthy participants and published the study in the Nature Communications subjournal on February 22, 2022.
Unlike Chen Abao not eating dinner in the evening, this study focused on time-restricted eating. To explain, participants ate during a specific time period each day (usually 8 hours). During this period, participants could eat as they liked, but they couldn’t eat outside of this designated time.
Researchers selected 90 healthy volunteers and divided them into 3 groups, which were:
1. Morning eating group from 6 am to 3 pm
2. Noon eating group from 11 am to 8 pm
3. Unlimited eating group
These 90 volunteers conducted a 5-week experiment, and the results of the experiment were very meaningful.
The analysis results indicate that morning eating is more effective in improving insulin sensitivity compared to noon eating. Morning eating improves fasting blood sugar, reduces weight and obesity, improves inflammation, and increases gut microbiome diversity.
In other words, skipping dinner can effectively improve metabolism, aid in weight loss, and lower blood sugar.
But it is worth mentioning that a crucial prerequisite for fasting is to ensure to sleep early to avoid other health problems caused by fasting for a long time.
In addition, intermittent fasting is not suitable for everyone. Patients with frequent hypoglycemia, anemia, lactating women, pregnant women, and people with underlying diseases should be cautious when adopting intermittent fasting, preferably after consulting a doctor.
3. Sweet potatoes are a “death warrant” for high blood lipids? Avoid these three foods for high blood lipids!
Returning to the story at the beginning of the article, what dietary considerations should high blood lipid patients like Chen Abao pay attention to?
In fact, there have always been misconceptions about the diet for high blood lipids. One previous misconception was that sweet potatoes are a “death warrant” for high blood lipids. Opponents of high blood lipid patients eating sweet potatoes believe that the high starch content of sweet potatoes can lead to an increase in blood lipids if consumed excessively.
However, in reality, sweet potatoes not only contain starch but also have a wealth of dietary fiber and various vitamins. The latter two can promote intestinal peristalsis and reduce cholesterol intake.
So strictly speaking, the saying that sweet potatoes are a “death warrant” is exaggerated. For high blood lipid patients, the three foods that should really be avoided are:
1. Alcohol
Excessive alcohol consumption can accelerate heart rate, constrict blood vessels, raise blood pressure. Moreover, calcium salt and cholesterol can deposit on the blood vessel wall, accelerate atherosclerosis, and have a moderate impact on controlling high blood lipids.
2. High-fat and high-cholesterol foods
This mainly refers to animal offal, fatty meat, thick soups, crab roe, and other foods. Foods high in fat and cholesterol directly affect the lipid ratio in patients, consuming such foods can quickly increase triglycerides and cholesterol in the blood within a short period, increase blood viscosity, and more easily cause blood vessel blockages.
3. Foods with high sugar content
Excessive intake of sugar is converted into triglycerides in the body, leading to an increase in blood lipids and blood sugar levels. Therefore, patients with high blood lipids should eat fewer high-sugar foods in their daily life, such as desserts, ice cream, jams, candies, etc.
References:
[1] “Long-term 16+8 intermittent fasting increases mortality by 91%? Don’t be fooled.” Guokr. March 27, 2024
[2] “New evidence for ‘not eating after noon’! Peking Union Mao Yilei and Yang Huayu research published in Nature sub-journal.” Peking Union Doctor. March 10, 2022
[3] “Peking Union research: Skipping dinner is good for metabolism! But there is an important premise.” Life Times. March 15, 2022
[4] “Dieting to lose weight, the more you lose, the fatter you get? Four tips to help you eat and lose weight!” Wuhan Union Hospital. May 9, 2024
[5] “Attention, high blood lipid patients, these 7 foods should be eaten sparingly.” World Council of Traditional Chinese Medicine Health Committee. September 7, 2022
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