Is Yo-Yo Dieting Deleterious for Your Heart?

Weight cycling, is the frequent or periodic loss and regain of body weight. When the weight cycling is the result of dieting, it is often called ‘yo-yo’ dieting, which could potentially have some serious health implications.

Scientists have warned older females that yo-yo dieting would do more harm to them than good.

Yo-Yo Dieting Makes You Yearn For Junk Food
Dieters who drop a lot of weight quickly could be more likely to put all the pounds back on, and then some, because of changes in the way their brains respond to stress.

A recent study has revealed that women aged who are 50 years and older increased their susceptibility of having heart ailments, while trying to lose their weight.

Scientists from Wake Forest University in North Carolina said that among such women type 2 diabetes and heart ailments were quite frequent.

Risk factors such as bad cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure and blood sugar levels improvised with weight loss, but with regained weight they soon reverted back to their previous levels.

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Pop star Lady GaGa was hospitalized six times last year because of her yo-yo dieting, claimed the star's ex-tour manager.

Prof. Daniel Beavers said, “In this group of women, weight loss and maintaining that loss offers the most health benefit, but therein lies the problem."

He further added, "For most people, weight regain after intentional weight loss is an expected occurrence."

Yo-yo Dieting Does Not Hamper Efforts for Weight Loss
A history of yo-yo dieting - the repetitive loss and regain of body weight, also called weight cycling - does not negatively affect metabolism or the ability to lose weight long term,

For study purposes the researchers enrolled more than 100 overweight women and studied the volunteers for about 5 months. The study was published in the Journal of Gerontology: Medical Sciences.

In the first five month of the study, healthy food and active exercise were advised to the volunteers to encourage weight loss. On an average they lost 25 lbs.

They were followed up after one year and it was noticed that nearly two-thirds of the females had regained four pounds and averagely the volunteers acquired 70 percent of their lost weight.

Prof. Beavers, the study co-author mentioned, "For women who had regained weight in the year after their weight loss, several risk factors were actually worse than before they lost the weight."

The researchers were of the opinion that the study highlighted the significance of adopting effective and long-term strategies of losing weight and maintaining the lost weight.

Samantha Heller, an exercise physiologist and clinical nutrition coordinator at the Center for Cancer Care at Griffin Hospital in Derby, Conn said that the study also tells us why we should refrain from fad diets and similar diet programs, pill and potions claiming to expedite weight loss.

Heller further mentioned, "The roller coaster of weight loss and regain is deleterious both physically and psychologically."

Say no to yo-yo dieting, for the last thing you want after working so hard to lose weight is to put it back on within a short period of time. Take control of your life and try to lose weight the healthy way, with a balanced diet and regular daily exercise and maintain it for life!

Source-Medindia