Weight Cycling and Mortality Among Middle-aged or Older Women

Abstract

During the past 2 decades some studies^1-4 have reported that weight loss, weight variability, and weight cycling are associated with increased health risks. These reports of adverse health outcomes associated with weight cycling or loss have led some to question whether it is prudent to recommend that overweight adults should try to lose weight. Although most of the early studies suggested that weight variability, loss, and cycling^2,3,5 were associated with an increased risk of mortality or morbidity, findings from the later studies^6-12 have not been consistent. The discrepancy in results may reflect the fact that a variety of measures of weight cycling or weight variability have been used, and some studies failed to differentiate intentional from unintentional weight loss.^13,14