Study finds that yo-yo dieting does not thwart weight loss efforts or alter metabolism long term

http://www.eurekalert.org/pub_releases/2012-08/fhcr-sft081412.php

Public release date: 14-Aug-2012
Contact: Kristen Woodward
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center
Obesity is a known risk factor for many cancers as well as heart disease and diabetes

SEATTLE – Yo-yo dieting – the repetitive loss and regain of body weight, also called weight cycling – is prevalent in the Western world, affecting an estimated 10 percent to 40 percent of the population. The degree to which weight cycling may impact metabolism or thwart a person's ability to lose weight in the long run has been unclear – until now.

A new study by researchers at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, published online in the journal Metabolism, for the first time has shown that a history of yo-yo dieting does not negatively affect metabolism or the ability to lose weight long term.

"A history of unsuccessful weight loss should not dissuade an individual from future attempts to shed pounds or diminish the role of a healthy diet and regular physical activity in successful weight management," said the study's senior author Anne McTiernan, M.D., Ph.D., a member of the Hutchinson Center's Public Health Sciences Division.