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Yo-yo dieting cuts life expectancy

Marie Claire news: Eating disorders Rex Features

Yo-yo dieting and binge eating from a young age could have potential health hazards later in life, say Scottish researchers.

The recent Glasgow University experiments on fish have led scientists to believe the findings could effect people too, especially teenagers.

Half the fish were fed the same quantity of food every day, while the others went through periods of starvation, followed by bingeing.

The results showed that those who's eating pattern yo-yoed did not live as long as the fish on a stable diet, dying an average of six months earlier.

'On average their lifespan was three-quarters that of the fish eating a constant amount daily. This is possibly because the body tissues are more likely to have imperfections due to growth spurts,' said lead researcher, Professor Neil Metcalfe.

Fears have now risen about the implications of erratic eating patterns in teenagers and children, as their bodies are still developing.

Prof Metcalfe did explain however that skipping a meal would not have any long-term effect, but changing from one extreme diet to another was likely to have more serious implications.

Wednesday 30 April 2008


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