The Reading / Listening - Intermittent Fasting - Level 5

The Internet is full of diets and dietary advice. In recent years, much has been written about intermittent fasting. This is only eating inside an 8-hour window, leaving a 16-hour gap with no food. Supporters of this say it improves metabolism and helps cellular repair. However, a new study has cast doubt on its merits. Researchers in Shanghai concluded that people who restricted their eating to eight hours a day faced a 91 per cent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular diseases than those who ate across a period of 12 to 16 hours.

The researchers analyzed data from 20,000 adults over a six-year period. The lead researcher said he was taken aback by his findings. He said: "We were surprised to find that people who followed…a time-restricted eating schedule were more likely to die from cardiovascular disease." He added: "Our study's findings encourage a cautious…approach to dietary recommendations, ensuring they are aligned with an individual's health status." The Mayo Clinic says fasting has been popular for over 1,500 years, but advised it is "safer with supervision from your healthcare team".

Try the same news story at these levels:

    Intermittent Fasting - Level 4 or  Intermittent Fasting - Level 6

Sources
  • https://www.bbc.com/news/articles/c0l6ye6xe12o
  • https://hsph.harvard.edu/news/intermittent-fasting-may-be-effective-for-weight-loss-cardiometabolic-health/
  • https://newsnetwork.mayoclinic.org/discussion/mayo-clinic-q-and-a-is-intermittent-fasting-a-helpful-practice-or-health-risk/


Make sure you try all of the online activities for this reading and listening - There are dictations, multiple choice activities, drag and drop activities, sentence jumbles, which word activities, text reconstructions, spelling, gap fills and a whole lot more. Please enjoy :-)

Phrase Matching

Paragraph 1

  1. diets and
  2. much has been
  3. a 16-hour gap with
  4. it improves
  5. a new study has cast
  6. people who restricted
  7. faced a
  8. across a period
  1. metabolism
  2. 91 per cent higher risk
  3. dietary advice
  4. of 12 to 16 hours
  5. written
  6. no food
  7. doubt on its merits
  8. their eating

Paragraph 2

  1. researchers analyzed data
  2. over a six-
  3. he was taken
  4. encourage a cautious
  5. dietary
  6. aligned with an individual's
  7. fasting has been popular for
  8. safer with supervision from your
  1. over 1,500 years
  2. aback
  3. healthcare team
  4. recommendations
  5. from 20,000 adults
  6. approach
  7. year period
  8. health status

Listening — Listen and fill in the gaps

The Internet is full of diets (1) ________________________________________________. In recent years, much has been written about intermittent fasting. This is only (2) ________________________________________________ 8-hour window, leaving a 16-hour gap with no food. Supporters of this say (3) ________________________________________________ and helps cellular repair. However, a new study has cast doubt (4) ________________________________________________. Researchers in Shanghai concluded that people (5) ________________________________________________ eating to eight hours a day faced a 91 per cent higher risk of dying from cardiovascular (6) ________________________________________________ who ate across a period of 12 to 16 hours.

The researchers (7) ________________________________________________ 20,000 adults over a six-year period. The lead researcher said he was (8) ________________________________________________ his findings. He said: "We were surprised to find that people who followed...a time-restricted eating schedule (9) ________________________________________________ to die from cardiovascular disease." He added: "Our study's findings encourage (10) ________________________________________________ to dietary recommendations, ensuring they are aligned with an (11) ________________________________________________." The Mayo Clinic says fasting has been popular for over 1,500 years, but advised it is "safer with supervision from (12) ________________________________________________".

Put a slash (/) where the spaces are

TheInternetisfullofdietsanddietaryadvice.Inrecentyears,muchhasb
eenwrittenaboutintermittentfasting.Thisisonlyeatinginsidean8-ho
urwindow,leavinga16-hourgapwithnofood.Supportersofthissayiti
mprovesmetabolismandhelpscellularrepair.However,anewstudyha
scastdoubtonitsmerits.ResearchersinShanghaiconcludedthatpeopl
ewhorestrictedtheireatingtoeighthoursadayfaceda91percenthigher
riskofdyingfromcardiovasculardiseasesthanthosewhoateacrossape
riodof12to16hours.Theresearchersanalyzeddatafrom20,000adults
overasix-yearperiod.Theleadresearchersaidhewastakenabackbyh
isfindings.Hesaid:"Weweresurprisedtofindthatpeoplewhofollowed..
.atime-restrictedeatingscheduleweremorelikelytodiefromcardiovas
culardisease."Headded:"Ourstudy'sfindingsencourageacautious...a
pproachtodietaryrecommendations,ensuringtheyarealignedwithani
ndividual'shealthstatus."TheMayoClinicsaysfastinghasbeenpopular
forover1,500years,butadviseditis"saferwithsupervisionfromyourhe
althcareteam".

Student survey

Write five GOOD questions about this topic in the table. Do this in pairs. Each student must write the questions on his / her own paper. When you have finished, interview other students. Write down their answers.

(Please look at page 12 of the PDF to see a photocopiable example of this activity.)

Discussion — Write your own questions

STUDENT A’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student B)

(a) ________________

(b) ________________

(c) ________________

(d) ________________

(e) ________________

(f) ________________

(g) ________________

(h) ________________

STUDENT B’s QUESTIONS (Do not show these to student A)

(i) ________________

(j) ________________

(k) ________________

(l) ________________

(m) ________________

(n) ________________

(o) ________________

(p) ________________

Free writing

Write about this topic for 10 minutes. Comment on your partner’s paper.

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_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________________________

Answers

(Please check your answers against the article above.

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