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Week 27/ 2005: Dieting can shorten your life

Overweight is associated with many chronic diseases, such as cardiovascular diseases and type II diabetes. Dieting is known to lower the risk of these diseases, but it seems that there is a downside to this.

According to research by Professor Jaakko Kaprio from the University of Helsinki and Professor Aila Rissanen, obesity researcher, from the Hospital District of Helsinki and Uusimaa, dieting can shorten the lives of moderately overweight people.

“When we diet, our bodies lose not only fat but also muscular tissue and bone. This could be one possible explanation for the increase in the mortality rate,” Rissanen says.

According to Rissanen, the greatest health hazard is imposed by the now so fashionable miracle diets that make you lose a lot fast.

In the research, the health of 2,975 moderately overweight twins was monitored for two decades. “Mortality rate was higher among those who consciously dieted in the beginning of the monitoring period. But weight gain also shorten life,” Rissanen says.

She points out that the sample was relatively small and only consisted of healthy people. Therefore, it cannot be used to make conclusions concerning the whole population.

“This certainly does not mean that people suffering from obesity-related diseases should not lose weight and change their habits. Preventing weight gain is always better for your health than trying to shed extra kilos," Rissanen says.

Text and picture: Simo Salmela
www.helsinki.fi/digitalcommunications

Translation: Valtasana Oy