CHICAGO — Losing and regaining weight repeatedly may be dangerous for overweight heart patients, a study suggests.
Heart attacks, strokes and death were more common in patients whose weight changed the most over four years.
For some, weight changes might have reflected yo-yo dieting, which some previous studies have suggested may be unhealthy for people without heart problems.
That means a hefty but stable weight might be healthier than losing but repeatedly regaining extra pounds.
But big weight fluctuations in heart patients studied could also have been unintentional and a possible sign of serious illness that would explain the results, the researchers and outside experts said.
Doctors not involved in the study called it interesting but not proof that “yo-yo” weight changes are risky for overweight heart patients.
Regardless, the recommendation from New York University cardiologist and lead author, Dr. Sripal Bangalore, echoes standard advice for anyone who’s overweight: “Lose weight but try to keep that weight off.”
The study was published Wednesday in the New England Journal of Medicine.
