Yo-yo dieting is a term used to describe the diet, weight loss and weight gain cycle some people undergo. In their attempts to be thin, people severely cut calories and practice crash dieting. Many health risks exist with yo-yo dieting. The Mayo Clinic experts suggest a better approach: commit to permanent changes in your diet and exercise habits.
Reduced Immunity
Yo-yo dieting can cause lowered immunity, which may lead to frequent illnesses and increased susceptibility to disease. In an article in the "The New York Times" researchers interviewed women with a history of dieting -- women who had lost more than 10 lb. as a result. Upon measuring the women's levels of natural killer cells, researchers learned that the women who had yo-yo-dieted the most had the lowest levels of these cells. Women whose weight was stable for years had the highest levels of killer cells, indicating they had greater immune system functioning.
Depression
Losing weight often brings personal satisfaction and confidence. Achieving such a coveted goal is an arduous task, and one that other people see and admire. For the yo-yo dieter who finds he has gained weight again, the feelings of confidence and personal satisfaction can easily turn to self-loathing and depression. Extreme dieters are also prone to binge eating, as they struggle to conform to their strict diet standards. The Mayo Clinic reports that depression is among the many complications associated with chronic binge eating.
Increased Obesity
Fifty percent of women are dieting at all times and that figure rises to a whopping 72 percent if you include adolescent females, according to Donna Ciliska, R.N., Ph.D. Those who diet chronically, lose their ability to identify satiety, which may lead to excessive overeating. Yo-yo dieting often finds dieters heavier than when they began their diet, as evidenced in follow-up reporting on individuals who have entered weight loss clinics, says Ciliska.
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