Slim in spite of yo-yo effect?

Anyone who has often grown out and back, suffering mostly from the, so-called, yo-yo effect and make it barely permanently remove – the previously believed many nutritionists. This theory is, however, now disproved by a study.

Until now it was assumed, that the body’s metabolism running at a diet due to the reduced calories intake. As a study now showed, that does not mean, that people who suffered so far under the yo-yo effect, not able to lose weight permanently.

In the investigation, the success of various slimming strategies in women were compared with and without weight fluctuations. All participants were overweight and were between 50 and 75 years old. They were divided into four groups, for each of them were given the different diet and exercise plans: either a low calorie diet or physical activity, or a combination of diet and exercise. The fourth group served as a control group.

After one year the women, who had suffered previously with a yo-yo effect had declined 8.4 percent in the diet group and 9.9 percent in the diet and sport group. They do not differ from those who had exhibited no weight fluctuations. Here the women took only slightly more, namely 9.1 per cent in the pure diet group and 12.1 percent in the combined diet and sport group.

Yo-Yo effects in the past do not prevent dieting.

The women with high yo-yo past were therefore just as capable of losing weight and physical activity. Also important values such as insulin, blood pressure and the saturation hormone leptin were comparable with the values of those who had not had a yo-yo problems. Interestingly, the finding of the study was to the effect that sports alone at least reduced the weight, namely by 2.4 percent in both the yo-yo as a group with the other women. In the control group, the weight remained as one would expect almost constant.

Yo-yo effects in the past, so do not affect the ability to lose weight permanently. The researchers hope that their findings do overweight people courage to take slimming despite previously unsuccessful attempts in attack. Study leader Dr. Anne McTiernan said: “A history of unsuccessful attempts should not a man deter to lose weight and to use healthy diet and exercise to control weight”.