{"id":22483,"date":"2026-06-16T01:19:20","date_gmt":"2026-06-16T01:19:20","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=22483"},"modified":"2026-06-16T01:19:20","modified_gmt":"2026-06-16T01:19:20","slug":"do-yo-yo-diets-really-ruin-your-metabolism-new-study-challenges-long-held-weight-loss-myths","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=22483","title":{"rendered":"Do Yo-Yo Diets Really Ruin Your Metabolism? New Study Challenges Long-Held Weight Loss Myths"},"content":{"rendered":"

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On-again-off-again weight loss journeys are often referred to as \u201cyo-yo\u201d diets or \u201cweight cycling,\u201d and have picked up a reputation for being bad for our health, potentially making future battles with the bulge even more challenging. But a recent review into decades of evidence has found that yo-yo diets are not responsible for greater fat accumulation, faster muscles loss, or a slowed metabolism.<\/p>\n

The review, published in The Lancet<\/em><\/a>,<\/em>\u00a0aimed to find out if the old adage that yo-yo diets are bad for our health was based in science, or merely a matter of opinion. To set the record straight, two distinguished professors looked at the data from decades of studies, involving both humans and animals, and concluded that there was no causal evidence to show a link between weight cycling and long-term harm in people living with obesity.<\/p>\n

\u201cMany people struggling with weight are discouraged from trying to lose weight because they fear \u2018yo\u2011yo dieting\u2019 will lead to muscle loss and somehow damage their metabolism,\u201d commented Professor Faidon Magkos<\/a>. \u201cOur review indicates that these fears are largely unsupported. In most cases, the benefits of trying to lose weight clearly outweigh the theoretical risks of weight cycling.\u201d<\/p>\n

Is Yo-Yo Dieting Bad for Your Health?<\/h2>\n

The review found no consistent evidence to show that weight cycling causes a disproportionate loss of lean muscle mass or long-term suppression of the metabolism. Instead, most people who regain weight after a yo-yo diet return to a similar starting point, going back to their previous body composition rather than an unhealthier one.<\/p>\n

The professors point out that regaining weight does reverse many of the benefits of weight loss, such as improvements in blood sugar, blood pressure, and lipid levels. But this does not imply that a person is worse off than before they lost the weight in the first place. \u201cRegaining weight brings people back toward baseline risk \u2014 not beyond it,\u201d Magkos explained. \u201cThere\u2019s a crucial difference between losing benefits and causing harm.\u201d<\/p>\n

Professor Norbert Stefan added that while yo-yo diets may get the blame, other factors are at play. \u201cOnce you properly account for pre\u2011existing health conditions, aging, and overall exposure to obesity, the supposed harmful effects of weight cycling largely disappear,\u201d he concluded.<\/p>\n

When average body weight, over time, is considered, weight cycling does not predict diabetes or cardiovascular disease risk. Higher adiposity itself, not weight fluctuation, appears to be the dominant driver of such risk.<\/p>\n

With people now jumping on and off GLP-1 medications<\/a>, the effects of yo-yo diets are of great interest. \u201cThe idea that \u2018yo\u2011yo dieting ruins your metabolism\u2019 is not supported by robust evidence,\u201d is the take home message emphasized by both professors. \u201cTrying\u2014and even failing\u2014to lose weight is not harmful. But giving up altogether may be.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n

Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

On-again-off-again weight loss journeys are often referred to as \u201cyo-yo\u201d diets or \u201cweight cycling,\u201d and have picked up a reputation for being bad for our health, potentially making future battles with the bulge even more challenging. But a recent review into decades of evidence has found that yo-yo diets are not responsible for greater fat […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":236,"featured_media":22484,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-22483","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\nDo Yo-Yo Diets Really Ruin Your Metabolism? New Study Challenges Long-Held Weight Loss Myths - World Bodybuilding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=22483\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Do Yo-Yo Diets Really Ruin Your Metabolism? New Study Challenges Long-Held Weight Loss Myths - World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"On-again-off-again weight loss journeys are often referred to as \u201cyo-yo\u201d diets or \u201cweight cycling,\u201d and have picked up a reputation for being bad for our health, potentially making future battles with the bulge even more challenging. 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