Reprinted from Eating Disorders Review
November/December 2003 Volume 14, Number 6
©2003 Gürze Books
According to Harvard researchers, for many adolescents, dieting in an attempt to control their weight is associated with weight gain (Pediatrics 2003;112:900). Although the authors feel that supervised weight control may be helpful for obese children and teens, results of their recent 3-year study showed that a children and young adults who dieted gained more weight than those who never dieted.
The study
The authors’ prospective study of 8203 girls and 6769 boys 9 to 14 years of age to assess the effects of dieting on weight. The subjects completed at least 2 annual questionnaires between 1996 and 1999. The questionnaires were designed specially for children and teens. Age- and gender-specific body mass index (BMI) scores were used as the outcome measure.
Greater gain reported among those trying to control weight
At the beginning of the study, 25% of the girls and 14% of the boys were infrequent dieters, while 5% of the girls and 2% of the boys reported that they dieted frequently. During the next two years, the number of those dieting increased in both groups. Binge eating was more common among the girls but for both girls and boys it was associated with attempts to control weight.
During the 3 years of follow-up, dieters gained more weight than nondieters. Among the girls, the frequency of dieting was positively associated with increases in age- and gender-specific BMI scores. Among the boys, both frequent and infrequent dieters had higher BMI scores than nondieters. Also, boys who were binge eaters gained a significantly greater amount of weight over the 3 years than nondieters.
