Crash Dieting Effects: Starving Yourself Isnt Smart
Researchers at the University of Pennsylvania fed mice a diet low enough in calories to cause loss of 15% of their body weight over a three week time period. At the end of the three weeks, the mice were thinner, but they had elevated levels of the stress hormone cortisol and showed signs of depression.
Even more compelling is the long-term effect crash dieting had these mice. It appeared to alter genes that control how the mice respond to hunger and stress, and these changes persisted even after they regained the lost weight. They had higher levels of hormones that stimulate appetite and ate considerably more high-fat food once they were allowed free access to food.
Are You Starving Yourself Thin?
Theres no guarantee that the brains of humans react in exactly the same way that mice brains do, but crash dieting may have long-term effects on people too. People who have the eating disorder anorexia and eat very low-calorie diets often have elevated levels of cortisol, the so-called stress hormone.
When researchers from the University of Glasgow placed fish on a binge diet followed by a crash diet, the lifespan of the fish declined by 25%. Crashing and binging isnt good for mice, fish - and not for humans either.
Crash Dieting Effects: The Bottom Line?
Starving yourself and following very low-calorie diets to lose weight isnt a safe way to get slim. You may lose weight in the short-term, but youll be more likely to binge and regain the lost weight. If these current studies hold true, it may also change the way your brain responds to food and to stress. It takes more patience to lose weight at a reasonable rate, one to two pounds per week, but theres a better change youll keep it off - and you wont be harming yourself in the process.
References:
Food Navigator USA website. "Crash Dieting Could Increase Stress-Induced Binge Eating, Suggests Study".
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