Many people are concerned about their weight, which is understandable, since a lot of health risks are associated with obesity. However, some people resort to crash diets, not realizing that they are doing more harm than good to their body.
Yo-yo dieting, or weight cycling, is referred to as cyclical loss and gain of weight. This practice slows down your metabolism and makes it harder to lose weight. However, a new study shows yo-yo dieting could also be fatal.
Yoyo-Dieting In Postmenopausal Women Could Lead To Heart Attacks
Dr. Somwail Rasla from Memorial Hospital of Rhode Island authored a study which tracked 153,063 postmenopausal women with various body mass index ratings for at least 11 years. During the study, 2,609 subjects who had normal body weight but engaged in yo-yo dieting had cardiac deaths.
Poor Hair Conditions And Hair Loss Are Effects Of Yoyo-Dieting
Other effects of yoyo-dieting include permanent stretch marks and sagging and drooping skin. Poor hair conditions and hair loss are also caused by losing and gaining weight quickly. Trichologist Anabel Kingsley says: "Yo-yo dieters are stressing their hair. Restricted calorie intake pushes more hairs into the shedding phase because the hair follicles have fewer nutrients to sustain them."
Kathryn Freeland, a personal trainer who runs Absolute Fitness in London said yo-yo dieting leads to muscle loss. "When the intake of calories drops below a certain level, the body will start to digest your muscle cells as well as remaining body fat to make energy. Less muscle mass can slow down metabolism even further, compounding the problem of rapid fat gain when you start to eat normally again," she said.
Stay Away From Quick Weight Loss Promises
Experts advised that one way to avoid the effects of yo-yo dieting is to walk away from lofty weight loss promises. There is no such thing as a magical diet, potion or pill that can make you lose weight and maintain it for a long time. A lot of these fad diets require unreasonable eating habits, such as eliminating an entire nutrient-rich food group or imposing extreme limitations on certain foods. While these diets help you lose weight initially, they are not sustainable for life, and may even lead to heart attack.
