Yo-Yo Diets and Gallstone Disease in Men

Women are notorious for losing weight and then gaining it all back again in a vicious cycle of weight fluctuation. Now a new study says that this kind of weight cycling can be dangerous for men who are at risk for gallstone disease.

For 10 years, the study tracked male participants
in the Health Professionals Follow-Up Study to examine the long-term effects of repeated intentional weight loss and gain on gallstone disease.

“Our findings suggest that weight cycling, independent of body mass index, may increase the risk of gallstone disease in men,” the researchers concluded in an article that appeared in the November 27, 2006, issue of the Archives of Internal Medicine. “Larger weight fluctuation and more weight cycles are associated with greater risk.”