The Hidden Dangers of Yo-Yo Dieting
By The Endocrine Society
Yo-yo dieting refers to repeatedly losing and regaining
weight over time. It affects a large portion of the population, with estimates
suggesting that up to 35% of men and 55% of women experience this pattern.
Previous research has linked yo-yo dieting to a higher risk
of cardiovascular events in both the general population and individuals with
type 2 diabetes. More recently, evidence has emerged suggesting similar risks
for those with type 1 diabetes.
First Study to Reveal This Connection
According to the study’s authors, this is the first research
to establish a connection between yo-yo dieting and kidney disease in people
with type 1 diabetes. While type 1 diabetes was traditionally associated with
leaner body types, obesity rates among those with the condition have been
rising, mirroring trends in the general population.
“We showed that high body-weight variability is associated
with increased risk of different outcomes of diabetic kidney disease (DKD)
progressions in people with type 1 diabetes, independently of traditional DKD
risk factors,” said lead author Marion Camoin, M.D., of the Centre Hospitalier
Universitaire de Bordeaux, France. “To our knowledge, this is the first study
showing this association.”
Researchers from France examined six years of body-weight
indices for the 1,432 participants in the Diabetes Control and Complications
Trial (DCCT)/Epidemiology of Diabetes Interventions and Complications (EDIC)
study.
The primary index for identifying yo-yo dieting patterns in
the study was known as “variability independent of the mean” (VIM), which
measures fluctuations above and below a person’s average body weight.
How Weight Variability Affects Kidney Health
Using the weight fluctuation data, researchers examined six
criteria for kidney function decline and progression towards chronic kidney
disease. Their primary criteria was the “estimated glomerular filtration fate”
(eGFR), which measures how well the kidneys filter toxins from the blood.
Participants with greater weight fluctuations experienced a
40% decline in eGFR from baseline values, according to the study. Those with
greater weight fluctuations also were more likely to exhibit moderately and
severely increased albuminuria, a condition in which the protein albumin is
abnormally present in the urine. Larger
amounts occur in the urine of patients with kidney disease.
Similar findings of kidney disease were confirmed by the
other examined indices.
Why Does Yo-Yo Dieting Harm the Kidneys?
The pathophysiological mechanisms linking body-weight
cycling to renal risk are still not fully understood, the authors acknowledge.
But they do offer a few hypotheses, including that insulin therapy,
which is needed to treat type 1 diabetes, can contribute to body-weight
cycling. Other researchers have theorized that body-weight cycling can lead to
added strain on the heart and contribute to kidney and vascular damage.
Authors in the current study offer a suggestion to lower the
risks of yo-yo dieting and by that occurrence of kidney disease:
“Strategies aimed at weight reduction in people with type 1
diabetes should focus on promoting long-term weight maintenance, as weight
stability may have a positive impact on health outcomes.”
Reference: “Body-Weight Cycling and Risk of Diabetic Kidney
Disease in People with Type 1 Diabetes in the DCCT/EDIC Population” 4 February
2025, The Journal of Clinical Endocrinology & Metabolism.
Other study authors are Kamel Mohammedi of Bordeaux
University Hospital in Pessac, France, and Inserm U1034, Biology of
Cardiovascular Diseases, in Bordeaux, France; Pierre-Jean Saulnier of the
University of Poitiers, INSERM, CHU Poitiers, Clinical Investigation Center
1402 in Poitiers, France; Samy Hadjadj of the Institute of Thorax, INSERM,
CNRS, UNIV Nantes, CHU Nantes in Nantes, France; Jean-François Gautier and
Jean-Pierre Riveline of the Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1151, CNRS UMR8253,
Institut Necker Enfants Malades, the Service de Diabétologie et
d’Endocrinologie, Hôpital Lariboisière, Assistance Publique -Hôpitaux de Paris,
and the Université Paris Cité, UFR de Médecine in Paris, France; Nicolas
Venteclef and Gilberto Velho of the Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1151, CNRS
UMR8253, Institut Necker Enfants Malades in Paris, France; Louis Potier of the
Department of Diabetology and Endocrinology, Assistance Publique – Hôpitaux de
Paris, Bichat Hospital, the Université Paris Cité, INSERM U1151, CNRS UMR8253,
Institut Necker Enfants Malades, and the Université Paris Cité, UFR de Médecine
in Paris, France.
