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Habitual dieters who constantly lose weight and then gain it back appear to have lower levels of HDL (good) cholesterol in their blood, putting them at increased risk for heart disease, researchers report.
The researchers found that women who lost at least 10 pounds three or more times had an average 7% lower HDL cholesterol than women who maintained a stable weight. The results may be particularly important for women, because HDL cholesterol appears to be a better predictor of heart disease in women than in men, explained Dr. Noel Bairey Merz, of the Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles, the study's lead author.
Researchers studied 485 women who were being evaluated for chest pains.
- About 27% reported a history of yo-yo dieting or weight cycling.
- 19% gained and lost 10-19 pounds
- 2% cycled 50 pounds or more.
Although the heaviest women tended to gain and lose the most weight and had the lowest HDL levels, thin women who repeatedly gained and lost weight had lower HDL levels than women who maintained their weight.
"These findings may have a great significance because 40% of adult women report attempts to lose weight, and many will gain it back," co-author Marian Olsen, a research associate at the University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, said in a statement.
Journal of the American College of Cardiology November, 2000; 36: 1565-1571
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