The Dilemma of Weight Cycling in Obesity: Is It Really a Health Risk Factor?

Abstract

Obesity is a serious health problem, officially recognized by The American Medical Association (AMA) as a disease associated with several medical [1] and psychosocial comorbidities [2]. Its prevalence is increasing worldwide in adolescents and adults of both genders [3]. In recent decades, it has doubled in more than 70 countries, and is continuously increasing in most others. Particularly worrisome, however, is the finding that it has approximately tripled in children and young adults in developing and middle-income societies, for example Brazil and China. Indeed, the early onset of obesity is likely to translate into a high cumulative incidence of type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease and high rate of mortality [3].