Weight cycling is a process when someone loses weight and regains it after some time. This is a very common thing nowadays among overweight and obese people globally.
Weight cycling is also known by a different term “yo-yo dieting”.
Impact of weight cycling on your health
Here is the latest study that finds out how does weight cycling impact your health?
The study was mainly done to verify various claims from earlier studies regarding weight cycling and its effects on one’s health.
The study was done by 2 Medical Doctors and one Clinical Psychologist, Dr. M. El Ghoch, Dr. R. Dalle Gravea, and Mr. S. Calugi. Of Villa Garda Hospital, Garda, Verona, Italy.(1)
Some earlier studies reported that weight cycling improves one’s cardiovascular health by improving various cardiovascular risk factors e.g. high blood pressure, High-density lipoprotein.
While some studies reported that even a small weight regain leads to loss of many of health benefits which were achieved through reduced weight.
There were also studies which reported that the weight regain impacts our health negatively. Really, these studies had confused many without concluding how weight cycling really affects one’s health.
To further investigate and conclude the real impacts of weight cycling on one’s health: This study was carried out on 38 severely obese subjects.
The Clinical and psychosocial variables were recorded in all 38 subjects prior to a cycle of weight loss and no significant differences were found in weight, body mass index, the total fat percentage of the body, energy expenditure, and cardiovascular risk factors.
However, another study states that the risk of coronary heart disease increases if there is fluctuation in one’s body weight. (2) All these studies and their outcomes suggest us that still more researches are required to conclude this.
Is weight cycling a threat to your health?
Despite the known deadly consequences of obesity, it is still rising globally. The latest data suggests that over 650 million adults were obese in 2016.
Obesity also does not see your gender or age this is explained by the same report that finds a significant amount of children who’re overweight or obese.(3)
Most of the people who lose weight don’t keep the same pace and regain most of it. However, this is considered a normal process. But, it could be improved.
Anyway, it is always better trying and reducing one’s weight till you attain a healthy weight. So be consistent in your efforts and make your goal of achieving a healthy weight without regaining lost weight.