Jo-Jo effects make diets extremely harmful to health

JoJo cycle: Why every diet represents a health hazard

In fact, most doctors and health professionals recommend over-weighting people to diet to prevent or control sequelae such as type II diabetes or high blood pressure. Others, however, ask the question of meaning. Because often are willing to lose weight in the JoJo loop. Lose weight a lot in a short time, but in the same time after that increase as much or more again. For the body, this represents a tremendous burden. Who actually wants to live healthier permanently, should basically work on a diet change, said Professor Ingo Froböse of the Center for Health of the German Sport University Cologne.

Many people in Germany have the desire to lose weight. The most varied forms of diet are correspondingly widespread. But often follows immediately after the end of the diet, the yo-yo effect and those affected take again significantly. In addition, a diet for the organism can be a significant burden, whereby the basal metabolic rate of the body up to twelve months gets out of step, warned Professor Ingo Froböse of the Center for Health of the German Sport University Cologne.

Losing weight, increasing, losing weight, increasing ... A cycle that massively damages the body. (Image: sirikorn_t / fotolia.com)

As the expert from the Center for Health of the German Sport University Cologne explained, even a three- to four-week diet can bring the basal metabolic rate of the organism for about twelve months from the beat. If the diet is eaten back to normal, the notorious yo-yo effect will set in, according to Prof. Froböse. According to the nutritionist, many women in particular today find it difficult to live with the hype about dieting. According to Prof. Froböse, many of them have reduced their calorie consumption to such an extent that they often consume significantly less than 1,000 kilocalories (kcal) per day as part of their diet, which is just "two cheese rolls a day".

The body of these women does not need more food to meet their energy needs, Froböse explained. Normally, the average basal metabolic rate of women is between 1,200 and 1,500 kilocalories (kcal) per day, for men this is 1,800 kilocalories, the expert emphasized. However, these figures only refer to the basal metabolic rate needed to maintain the vital functions of the body, such as heart, lung and brain function.

All additional physical services require further energy according to Prof. Froböse. For example, the human organism burns an average of around 650 kilocalories when jogging within an hour. The power turnover includes any energy that is burned by activities such as sports or physical work.

Diets signal the body an artificial emergency
In the case of a diet, the body, which is generally anxious to maintain as many functions as possible, artificial signals a state of emergency, which is generally less energy for the power available and also the basal metabolism significantly reduced or focused on the essential functions, explained Prof Froböse.

According to the experts, the diet is "the biggest enemy of the basal metabolic rate." However, a high basal metabolic rate can contribute to the fact that generally not so easily increased, because even at rest, the organism burns so much more energy than at low basal metabolic rate. Therefore, according to the expert, a diet that brings the basal metabolic rate out of tact, quite critical to judge.

In order to bring the basal metabolic rate back to the previous level, those concerned need a lot of patience, emphasized Prof. Froböse. Thus, with continuous efforts to rebuild the basal metabolic rate, about twelve months after dieting, the normal level is restored. Anyone who eats as usual immediately after the end of the diet, most likely increases significantly, since his basal metabolic rate is still below the level that was in the run-up to the diet, explained the expert. First and foremost, therefore, attempts should be made to increase the body's metabolic rate in order to lose weight sustainably.

Three steps to successful weight loss
According to Prof. Froböse, three steps lead to success. First of all, those who are willing to lose weight should build muscle mass, because muscles burn more energy than fat even when they are resting. For this purpose, the expert recommends, for example, strength training in the gym, in which muscles are specifically trained for strength. In addition, those with endurance training should increase their basal metabolic rate, said Froböse.

Endurance sports such as running, swimming or cycling increase the number of tiny cell power plants (mitochondria) responsible for supplying the cells with energy, which also contributes to increasing the metabolic rate. The higher the number of mitochondria per cell, the more energy they can produce, and the number of tiny cell power plants per cell can be increased by up to 100 percent, the expert explained.

As a third step towards sustainable weight loss, the expert named the orientation of eating intake at the bio-rhythm of the metabolism. In doing so, the body receives three meals a day, each with a five-hour break in between, continues Prof. Froböse. In the opinion of the expert, snacks are best avoided and with regard to the different size of the meals, Prof. Froböse explained that especially many carbohydrates should be taken in the morning, more nutrient-rich food is preferred at noon and protein-containing foods should be served in the evening. This means in the morning wholegrain muesli and wholemeal bread, at noon vegetables, fish or meat with side dishes such as potatoes or rice and in the evening eggs, turkey or salad, explained the expert.

To fear further disadvantages of diets
If the affected persons raised their basal metabolic rate to a normal level, food intake can slowly be increased again without having to fear weight gain. Because the organism burns more calories again and the additional kilocalories do not automatically bring additional fat deposits, said Prof. Froböse.

According to the expert, the currently widespread dietary delusion should finally be put an end to, as the desired weight loss is often only of short duration, but the negative consequences for the organism persist in the long term. It is not only the basal metabolism mentioned by Prof. Froböse that plays a significant role, but also, for example, the concentration of pollutants in the organism. For example, experts in the journal "International Journal of Obesity" warned in September last year that in the event of weight loss, the concentration of chemical, potentially harmful substances in the body increases significantly. These include, for example, the dioxin-like polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs), which are generally considered carcinogenic. A long-term weight loss offers clear advantages over a strong weight reduction within a short time, as it can be achieved in many diets, according to the experts. (Sb)