found that those with the greatest degree of weight cycling had a 53 percent higher risk of death from all causes, and a 14 percent greater risk of heart attack and stroke, than those whose weight stayed stable—no matter their body size.19 The reasons for the association between weight cycling and poor health outcomes are still being investigated. One likely explanation is that weight cycling leads to fluctuations in blood pressure, heart rate, nervous-system activity, kidney-filtration rate, blood sugar, and blood lipids—all known cardiovascular risk factors.
