A new study contradicts previous studies indicating that yo-yo dieting may contribute to early death, according to a recent report. Earlier studies included people who experienced unintentional weight loss due to diseases such as cancer. A new study included approximately 56,000 men and 66,000 women between the ages of 50 and 74 years old who were surveyed about their intentional weight loss efforts, success, and weight regained, with 42 percent of the men and 57 percent of the women intentionally losing and then regaining at least 10 pounds one or more times. After 16 years, approximately 15,000 of the men and 10,000 of the women died. Only 16 percent of the women who had lost and regained weight at least 20 times died, compared with 15 percent who had never intentionally lost weight. For men, 29 percent of the yo-yo dieters had died compared with 26 percent of those who did not diet. The yo-yo dieters were more likely to be overweight or obese 10 years before the study, raising their risk of dying. However, after correcting for weight, diabetes, high blood pressure, and smoking, there were no differences in the death rates of yo-yo dieters and people who had maintained their weight. “While weight cycling may not kill you any sooner, yo-yo dieting is still not good for a whole lot of other reasons,” says dietitian Judy Caplan.
