Getty Images
May 18 2022 — Older breast cancer survivors with cardiometabolic risk factors who restricted food intake to eight hours during the weekday, followed by 16 hours of fasting, lowered their risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) after a few weeks, according to a new research letter publishing in JACC: CardioOncology. The study is a part of the upcoming mini-focus issue, “Physical Activity and Lifestyle Interventions in Cancer.”
The authors looked at 22 individuals with a body mass index who were classified as overweight or obese (>25kg/m2), had completed cardiotoxic treatment (anthracyclines, a commonly used chemotherapy drug) within the past one to six years, and were an average age of 66 years. For eight weeks participants were allowed to eat freely between 12-8 p.m. on weekdays and at any time on the weekends. Outside of those hours, participants were asked to consume only water, black coffee or black tea. Using the Canadian Cardiovascular Society scoring system to calculate the 10-year Framingham Risk Score, the authors found that CVD risk decreased from 10.9% to 8.6% at the end of the trial period.
“This rigorously designed, well-executed single-arm feasibility study generates important hypotheses and questions about the role of time restricted eating relevant to cancer survivors,” said Bonnie Ky, MD, MSCE, editor-in-chief of JACC: CardioOncology. “For example, what is the basis of the inter-individual variation of the response to time restricted eating in the Framingham Risk Score, and will this help identify patients who are most likely to benefit from this strategy? How does diet quality affect these findings? We look forward to seeing research using practical lifestyle interventions continue to evolve and advance to improve the lives of our patients and survivors.”
For more information: www.acc.org
Related Women and Heart Failure Content:
Study Finds Infertility History Linked with Increased Risk of Heart Failure
ACC, AHA, HFSA Issue Joint Heart Failure Guideline
Women More Likely to Die After Heart Emergency than Men
Related Women's Health Content:
Sex Differences in 'Body Clock' May Benefit Women’s Heart Health
Diagnostic Differences in Women’s Heart Health
New Advice Will Help Women with Congenital Heart Defects Navigate Pregnancy
VIDEO: Differences in Cardiac Complications and Presentation Between Men and Women — Interview with Cindy Grines, M.D.
Pregnancy-Related Heart Failure Strikes Black Women Twice as Often as Other Races
Cardiac Imaging Reveals Roots of Preeclampsia Damage in Pregnant Women
Marked Increase in Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Women After Preeclampsia
VIDEO: Sex Differences in Diagnosing Heart Disease in Women — Interview with Doreen DeFaria Yeh, M.D.
VIDEO: How to Build a Successful Women’s Heart Center — Interview with Malissa Wood, M.D.
Find more articles on women's heart issues in the Women's Cardiovascular Health channel
March 06, 2026 
