Short-term variability in body weight predicts long-term weight gain.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Body weight in lower animals and humans is highly stable despite a very large flux in energy intake and expenditure over time. Conversely, the existence of higher-than-average variability in weight may indicate a disruption in the mechanisms responsible for homeostatic weight regulation.

Objective

In a sample chosen for weight-gain proneness, we evaluated whether weight variability over a 6-mo period predicted subsequent weight change from 6 to 24 mo.

Design

A total of 171 nonobese women were recruited to participate in this longitudinal study in which weight was measured 4 times over 24 mo. The initial 3 weights were used to calculate weight variability with the use of a root mean square error approach to assess fluctuations in weight independent of trajec

SUBMITTER: Lowe MR 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC4625595 | biostudies-literature | 2015 Nov

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature