Women who start dieting early in life are at a higher risk of poor health later, a new study finds
The pressure to look "slim and trim" has never been greater. Despite many campaigns emphasizing the fact that "size zero is not a size", young women find themselves battling peer pressure to look thin. Consequently, they take to dieting at a very young age. Such women are at an increased risk of poor health later in life. So suggests the findings of a new study conducted by researchers from Florida State University.
The researchers said public health initiatives to promote healthy habits in young women should begin in elementary school to support girls as they go through puberty.
The lead author of this study was Pamela K. Keel, PhD, from the Department of Psychology at Florida State University in Tallahassee.
The study included 1,794 college-aged women who were surveyed on their dieting and weight history between 1982 and 2012. Dr. Keel and team surveyed 624 women in 1982, 566 women in 1992, 542 women in 2002 and 462 women in 2012.
The researchers followed up every 10 years to look at the long-term health impact of dieting. The findings showed that the frequency of dieting during young adulthood decreased in each group between 1982 and 2012.
The study authors discovered that the younger a woman was when starting a diet, the more likely she was to abuse alcohol, be overweight or obese or engage in extreme weight-control behaviors like making herself vomit by the time she reached her 30s.
The researchers said public health initiatives should promote wellness and healthy choices in young girls. Healthy choices include exercising, spending less time on the computer or watching TV and eating more fruits and vegetables.
The initiatives, the authors said, should start as early as elementary school to help support girls as they go through puberty - a time where they feel natural, rapid changes in their bodies.
This study was presented July 29 at the 2014 Annual Meeting of the Society for the Study of Ingestive Behavior.
Studies presented at academic conferences should be considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed journal.
The National Institute of Mental Health provided funding for the research. The study authors disclosed no conflicts of interest.
