JERUSALEM, Feb. 18 (Xinhua) -- A long-term international study suggests that repeated cycles of weight loss and regain, often called "yo-yo dieting," may still provide lasting health benefits, Israel's Ben-Gurion University of the Negev said Wednesday.
Yo-yo dieting, also known as weight cycling, refers to a common pattern in which people lose weight through diet and exercise but later regain it, prompting another attempt. The practice is often viewed as ineffective or harmful. The new research challenges that assumption.
The study tracked about 500 participants for up to 10 years as part of two controlled diet and lifestyle trials. Researchers compared Mediterranean-style diets and exercise programs with standard diets, using MRI scans to measure body fat.
Even participants who regained weight before starting a second program showed improvements. Visceral fat, the fat surrounding internal organs, was 15 to 25 percent lower than at the outset. They also demonstrated better insulin sensitivity and healthier blood lipid levels.
Five years after the second program ended, those who made a second attempt had regained less weight and accumulated less abdominal fat than participants who dieted only once.
The researchers said the findings suggest that body weight alone does not fully reflect health outcomes and that metabolic benefits may persist even when weight is regained. ■
