The Effect of Weight Cycling on Diabetes Mellitus

Abstract

Dieting has multiple meanings including ‘intentional weight loss’ or ‘a specific eating pattern.’ Although obesity is considered a deleterious health problem worldwide, there are many problems caused by ‘too strict’ weight control and distorted body image ideals. Many people want to lose weight and repeat weight loss and gain multiple times throughout their lives. This is called ‘weight cycling.’ Recent studies report the negative impact of obesity and the danger of weight cycling for cardiometabolic health. Many experimental studies show that weight cycling can cause fluctuations in cardiovascular risk factors, such as blood pressure, heart rate, sympathetic activity, and circulating levels of glucose, lipids, and insulin. These repeated fluctuations during periods of weight regain put additional stress on the cardiovascular system. This study reviews current evidence for the effects of weight cycling on diabetes mellitus.