Self‐report dieting and long‐term changes in body mass index and waist circumference

Abstract

Summary Objective This prospective study explores whether dieting attempts and previous changes in weight predict changes in body mass index (BMI) and waist circumference (WC). Methods The study was based on the representative Finnish Health 2000 Survey and on its follow‐up examination 11 years later. The sample included 2,785 participants, aged 30–69. BMI and WC were determined at health examinations. Information on dieting attempts and previous changes in weight was collected using a questionnaire including questions on whether participant had tried to lose weight (no/yes), gained weight (no/yes) or lost weight (no/yes) during the previous year. Results At baseline, 32.8% were dieters. Of these, 28.4% had lost weight during the previous year. Dieters had higher BMI and WC than non‐dieters. During the follow‐up, the measures increased more in dieters and in persons with previous weight loss. The mean BMI changes in non‐dieters versus dieters were 0.74 (standard deviation [SD] 2.13) kg/m 2 and 1.06 (SD 2.77) kg/m 2 ( P = 0.002), respectively. The corresponding numbers for those with no previous weight change versus those who had lost weight were 0.65 (SD 2.07) kg/m 2 and 1.52 (SD 2.61) kg/m 2 . The increases in BMI and WC were most notable in dieters with initially normal weight. Conclusions The increases in BMI and WC were greater in dieters than in non‐dieters, suggesting dieting attempts to be non‐functional in the long term in the general population.

How dieting might make some fatter: modeling weight cycling toward obesity from a perspective of body composition autoregulation

“…During their nutritional rehabilitation after losing 25-29% of their body weight over 24 weeks of semistarvation, they showed fat overshooting of 4 kg on average but ranging between 0 and 9 kg, with those showing higher fat overshooting being the leanest, as evidenced from an inverse exponential relationship between the kg of fat overshot and initial (pre-starvation) body fat% [36]. Thus, a high dependency of postdieting fat overshooting upon the initial adiposity is a central tenet in explaining the findings of prospective studies showing a more consistent association between dieting to lose weight and increased risks for major weight gain in individuals initially of normal-weight than in people initially with overweight or obesity [6,11,16].…”

“…In parallel to the increasing prevalence of overweight and obesity worldwide, the prevalence of dieting is also rising, and current estimates indicate that 40% of adults have tried to lose weight at some point during the last 5 years [1]. With studies of the long-term outcomes showing that at least onethird of dieters regain more weight than they lost [2], together with prospective studies indicating that dietingwhether in adults [3][4][5][6][7][8][9][10][11], adolescents [12][13][14][15][16] or children [17][18][19]-predicts future weight gain and obesity, there is concern as to whether dieting may paradoxically be promoting exactly the opposite of what it is intended to achieve [20][21][22].…”

“…Furthermore, those in the lowest BMI category at baseline gained more weight than those in the intermediate or high baseline BMI category [16]. More recently, in a study based on a representative adult population sample (Finnish Health 2000 Survey) and on its follow-up examination 11 years later in 2,785 adults aged 30-69, the increases in BMI and waist circumference were found to be greater in dieters than in non-dieters, but notably greatest in dieters who reported that they had lost weight or experienced weight fluctuation during the previous year, and in dieters with initially normal weight [11].…”

Intentional weight loss as a predictor of type 2 diabetes occurrence in a general adult population

“…The individuals with IWL showed a statistically significant elevated risk of T2D occurrence, with an HR of 1.58 (95% CI 1. 23 Epidemiology/Health services research Epidemiology/Health services research Epidemiology/Health services research Epidemiology/Health services research statistically significantly increased risk in those with IWL could be seen in the subgroups of men, individuals with low or intermediate education, individuals with obesity, individuals with low PA, never-smokers, individuals with the lowest energy intake and individuals with short sleep.…”

“…The majority of epidemiological follow-up studies have suggested that dieting predicts weight gain. [21][22][23] Some studies have indicated the association to be accentuated in individuals with normal weight. 22 23 It has been suggested that dieting attempts may act as a proxy for susceptibility to gain weight.…”