An interesting new study suggests that intermittent fasting (IF) may lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes by stopping blood clots from forming.
Researchers discovered that IF changes the bacteria in the gut in a way that helps lower platelet activity, which is a key part of how clots form.
This finding could be helpful for people who are at risk for heart disease and other heart issues.
A diet plan called intermittent fasting has people go through cycles of eating and not eating. One way to do it is to fast every other day, or you could limit your food intake for a certain number of hours every day. A lot of people follow IF to lose weight and get healthier in general.
How Does IF Help the Heart?
A study found that IF makes the gut make more of a rare chemical called indole-3-propionic acid (IPA). Some bacteria in the gut make this chemical, which has been shown to slow down the activity of platelets.
Platelets are very small blood cells that help blood clot. But if they work too hard, they can form dangerous blood clots that can cause heart attacks and strokes.
Researchers discovered that fasting raises the number of good bacteria in the gut, especially Clostridium sporogenes, which makes IPA.
When the body has more IPA, platelets don’t stick together as well and are less likely to form dangerous clots.
Related: New Study Reveals Hidden Side Effect of Intermittent Fasting on Hair Health
Experiments and Findings
The study looked at how IF affected both people and mice. Platelet activity was much lower in a group of people with heart disease who had irregular fasting for 10 days.
In the same way, mice that ate an IF diet had fewer blood clots and less heart damage than mice that ate whatever they wanted.
To find out more about IPA’s effects, scientists gave it straight to mice and saw that it stopped blood clots from forming just like IF did.
This means that IPA could be used as a heart disease prevention drug in the future.
Intermittent fasting has been shown in the past to help control blood sugar, drop cholesterol, and reduce inflammation.
New study shows that IF may also lower the risk of heart attacks and strokes by changing the activity of platelets.
The study shows that intermittent fasting can be helpful, but the experts warn that more research is needed to fully understand its long-term effects.
There have been studies that show IF might not be right for everyone and might even be bad in some cases.
Conclusion
This new study adds to the growing body of proof that fasting every so often is good for your heart. By getting bacteria in the gut to make more IPA, IF helps stop platelets from activating and lowers the risk of dangerous blood clots.
Now, scientists are trying to figure out how this study could help them find better ways to treat heart disease.
If it is shown to be safe and successful, intermittent fasting could become a big part of future plans to keep people from getting heart disease.
