1. Yo-yo Dieting: Is It Really That Dangerous? Maxine S. Williams

2. Definition The repeated loss & regain of body weight

3. Physical effects Many people regain more weight than originally lost. Increase risk for heart disease. Blood pressure, blood sugar levels & cholesterol levels increase once weight is regained.

4. Effects on women The more times a woman attempts to lose weight, the lower her natural-killer-cell activity (a measurement of how well your immune system is working).

5. Enzyme production The cycle encourages production of an enzyme called lipoprotein, which encourages fat storage. Once a new diet is started, the body wants to guard against a perceived threat, which makes dieting more difficult.

6. Ohio University 2011 study Suggests that yo-yo dieting is preferable to remaining obese & not dieting at all. The study followed 30 mice over a 2 year period. “Mice that switched between a high fat & low fat diet every 4 weeks during their approximate 2 year life span lived about 25% longer & had better blood glucose levels than obese animals that ate a high fat diet.”

7. Ohio University 2011 study The yo-yo dieting mice lived almost as long as a control group of mice fed strictly a low-fat diet; the health of the yo-yo dieting mice declined while on the high-fat diet, but weight & blood glucose levels returned to normal once switched back to the low-fat diet.

8. What does this mean? Neither obesity nor yo-yo dieting is healthy. The best solution is to eat balanced meals, and maintain an active life-style.