Longer eating gaps linked to faster disease buildup in older adults
Eating gaps of 14–24 hours were linked to 0.119 more chronic diseases per year than gaps of 6–11.5 hours in older adults.
15 years
Limit: Fasting duration relied on self-reported mealtimes
Edited by Boris Djordjevic · AgingResearch.News
In an observational cohort study, researchers followed 2,981 predominantly community-dwelling adults aged 60 and older in Stockholm, Sweden; 63.8% were women. They analyzed disease records spanning 15 years, with an average individual follow-up of 7.2 years. Participants reported typical mealtimes. The researchers defined fasting as the longest daily gap between eating occasions, not a deliberate dietary practice. They counted chronic diseases across 60 categories.
After accounting for diet, physical activity and other measured factors, longer fasting was associated with faster disease accumulation. The link was apparent in participants aged 78 and older, but not younger participants. The longest gaps were also linked to faster accumulation of heart and blood vessel diseases and nervous system or mental health conditions. Muscle, bone and joint diseases showed no consistent link.
Why it matters
The study addresses how eating schedules relate to accumulating chronic illness in later life. The authors suggest that prolonged habitual fasting may be detrimental in advanced age.
Caveats
This observational study cannot show that longer fasting caused disease accumulation; mealtimes were self-reported, and unmeasured differences could influence the results. The findings concern predominantly community-dwelling Swedish adults aged 60 and older, not younger adults or prescribed fasting programs.
- Intermittent fasting
- Cardiovascular disease
- Multimorbidity
- Musculoskeletal disease
- Neuropsychiatric disease
- Humans
The paper
Habitual fasting duration and accelerated multimorbidity in older adults
Stockholm University
Journal of Internal Medicine, Aug 20, 2026, Open access
