“Yo-Yo Dieting” Likely Raises CVD Risk in Women
A history of weight cycling is likely associated with an elevated risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD) in pre- and post-menopausal women who have never been pregnant, according to preliminary study findings presented at the American Heart Association’s Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health 2019 Scientific Sessions.1
“Achieving a healthy weight is generally recommended as heart healthy but maintaining weight loss is difficult and fluctuations in weight may make it harder to achieve ideal cardiovascular health,” said the study’s senior author Brooke Aggarwal, EdD, MS, assistant professor of medical sciences at Columbia University Vagelos College of Physicians and Surgeons in New York, in a press release.2
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Dr Aggarwal and colleagues arrived at their conclusion following a cross-sectional analysis of 485 women who were enrolled in the American Heart Association (AHA) Go Red for Women Strategically Focused Research Network. Mean participant age was 37 years, and mean body mass index (BMI) was 26 kg/m2.
Ultimately, the analysis revealed that 73% of women had reported at least 1 episode of weight cycling–defined as a weight gain or loss of at least 10 lbs. Approximately 26% of participants were found to have poor cardiovascular health, while 34% and 30% had moderate or high cardiovascular health, respectively.
The researchers found that history of weight cycling was associated with a lower likelihood of having an ideal BMI or a moderate or high AHA Life’s Simple 7 (LS7) composite score. However, this association was not observed for other metrics of cardiovascular health.
Stratified analyses indicated that history of weight cycling was associated with a lower likelihood of having a high AHA LS7 score particularly in pre-menopausal and post-menopausal women with no history of pregnancy.
“The women without a pregnancy history were likely younger and might be those who started weight-cycling at an earlier age,” said Dr Aggarwal in a press release.2 “We need to identify critical periods for the effect of weight fluctuation on heart disease risk over the life course to find out whether it is worse when women start on a dieting roller-coaster at an early age.”2
—Christina Vogt
References:
- Byun SS, Bello NA, Liao M, Makarem N, Aggarwal B. Weight cycling is associated with poorer cardiovascular health assessed using AHA's Life's Simple 7 in a diverse sample of women encompassing different life stages. Paper presented at: American Heart Association Epidemiology, Prevention, Lifestyle & Cardiometabolic Health; March 5-8, 2019; Houston, TX.
- Yo-yo dieting may increase women’s heart disease risk [press release]. Houston, TX. American Heart Association. March 7, 2019. Accessed on March 7, 2019.