Talk about a scale fail.\u00a0<\/p>\n
New research<\/a> suggests that a common dieting mistake may trigger lasting changes in the body that make eating right more difficult.<\/p>\n Worse still, the effects appear to linger long after the bad habit is corrected, quietly sabotaging your ability to maintain a healthy weight. <\/p>\n Crash diets often trap Americans in a constant cycle of losing and regaining weight. mojo_cp \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Yo-yo dieting<\/a> is a pattern where people restrict calories to lose weight, then slip back into old eating habits \u2014 often gaining back more than they shed and starting the cycle all over again.<\/p>\n It\u2019s a common problem in the US, where nearly three in four adults are clinically overweight and diet culture tends to favor quick weight-loss fixes over long-term lifestyle changes. <\/p>\n Studies estimate<\/a> that up to 55% of American women and 35% of men have fallen into the yo-yo dieting trap at some point.<\/p>\n Curious how the cycle impacts the body, researchers in France put lab mice on a similar diet rollercoaster.<\/p>\n Biological changes seen in yo-yo dieting mice may help explain eating behaviors in humans. filin174 \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Over several weeks, the animals were fed alternating rounds of healthy, low-fat chow and a high-fat, high-sugar diet meant to imitate Western eating habits.<\/p>\n Just like in humans, their weight fluctuated up and down like a yo-yo. But over time, the mice also began binging<\/a> on the junk food whenever it was available \u2014 even if they\u2019d already been fed. <\/p>\n When researchers analyzed the mice\u2019s fecal samples, they found long-lasting changes in their gut bacteria that altered their internal metabolism.<\/p>\n To test it further, the team transplanted the altered gut bacteria into healthy mice that hadn\u2019t been dieting. They, too, started compulsively overeating fatty, sugary foods. <\/p>\n Gut bacteria plays a critical role in weight management, including by influencing appetite regulation. Dr_Microbe \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n The researchers also scanned the mice\u2019s brains and found increased activity in their reward centers, the region that lights up in response to pleasurable stimuli, including food.<\/p>\n The findings suggest that yo-yo dieting may mess with both the gut and the brain \u2014 making it tougher to resist high-calorie foods and setting the stage for overeating.<\/p>\n While the experiment hasn\u2019t been tested in humans, the results suggest that yo-yo dieting could lead to similar changes in people as well. <\/p>\n The researchers said further studies will be needed to fully understand the biological mechanisms at play and confirm whether the same effect happens in humans. <\/p>\n Large fluctuations in body weight have been linked to several negative health consequences. Kawee \u2013 stock.adobe.com<\/p>\n Your gut and brain aren\u2019t the only things yo-yo dieting can mess with<\/a>.<\/p>\n \u201cWhen weight is quickly lost and regained, the regained weight is typically fat tissue rather than muscle tissue, which can increase the overall body fat percentage over time,\u201d Melissa Hoover, a registered dietician, said in an interview with Piedmont Healthcare<\/a>. <\/p>\n One review<\/a> found that 11 out of 19 studies linked a history of yo-yo dieting to higher body fat and more belly fat.<\/p>\n Hoover also noted that most yo-yo dieters focus on cutting calories but skip the exercise habits that help maintain muscle. \u201cThis eventually leads to loss of muscle mass and body strength,\u201d she said. <\/p>\n And the risks don\u2019t stop there. Yo-yo dieting has also been associated with an increased risk of developing chronic conditions like type 2 diabetes<\/a>, heart disease<\/a> and high blood pressure<\/a>.<\/p>\n