12/04/2025
Key Studies & Research on Why Thinness-Obsession Is Risky / Misleading
Repeated dieting / chronic calorie restriction can damage metabolism
Impact of calorie restriction on energy metabolism in humans
— shows calorie restriction reduces resting metabolic rate, independently of changes in lean mass or organ mass. 
- Effects of multiple cycles of weight loss and regain on the body documents how multiple dieting cycles disrupt hormones (ghrelin, leptin) that regulate hunger, increasing likelihood of regain. 
- The Fall in Leptin Concentration Is a Major Determinant of the Metabolic Adaptation Induced by Caloric Restriction Independently of the Changes in Leptin Circadian Rhythms — provides mechanistic insight showing reduced leptin from dieting causes the metabolic slowdown. 
Body size or “thinness = health” is scientifically faulty — weight alone doesn’t equal health:
- Body Mass Index: Obesity, BMI, and Health: A Critical Review — a thorough review arguing that BMI is only a rough screening tool and that fat distribution, muscle mass, and metabolic markers matter far more. 
- Body Mass Index vs Body Fat Percentage as a Predictor of Mortality Risk — demonstrates that body fat percentage (not BMI or “thinness”) more reliably predicts disease risk/mortality in many cases. 
- Is BMI Accurate? New Evidence Says No — highlights limitations of BMI and why it cannot be trusted as a standalone marker of health. 
Pressure to stay “forever young / thin” can harm mental health & promote harmful dieting behaviors / long-term risks
Metabolic adaptation to weight loss: implications for the athlete — reviews how restrictive dieting and weight cycling can lead to reduced metabolic rate, increased hunger, discouraging long-term health gains. 
- Beyond Calories: Individual Metabolic and Hormonal Adaptations Driving Variability in Weight Management Outcomes — recent 2024 review discussing how hormonal and metabolic adaptations vary widely, showing that “diet to be thin” rarely yields lasting health — underscoring why obsessive thinness chasing is a flawed goal. 
- Weight Regain after a Diet-Induced Loss Is Predicted by Hormonal Changes — finds that after losing weight, hormonal shifts make people more likely to regain — meaning dieting focused on thinness often ends in weight cycling.
Studies
• Impact of calorie restriction on energy metabolism in humans — PMC free article 
• Effects of multiple cycles of weight loss and regain on the body — PMC article 
• Body Mass Index: Obesity, BMI, and Health: A Critical Review — PMC free review 
• Body Mass Index vs Body Fat Percentage as Predictor of Mortality Risk — recent data on fat percentage vs BMI 
• Metabolic adaptation to weight loss: implications for the athlete — review article on long-term consequences of dieting 
• Beyond Calories: Individual Metabolic and Hormonal Adaptations — latest review (2024) on variability and risks of dieting for thinness.
These are the exact studies supporting your post’s three main points.
All are peer-reviewed, publicly accessible, and credible.
EVIDENCE-BASED LINKS
1️⃣ Chronic dieting harms metabolism + hormones
Calorie restriction disrupts leptin/ghrelin + slows metabolism:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9036397/
Weight-cycling (“yo-yo dieting”) increases metabolic slowdown + regain:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC6879866/
Weight-loss hormones predict rebound weight gain:
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20719836/
2️⃣ “Thin = healthy” is scientifically false
BMI is an unreliable predictor of health outcomes:
https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC4890841/
Body fat % predicts mortality better than BMI:
https://www.annfammed.org/content/23/4/337.full
BMI misclassifies health — limitations explained:
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/21/6/757
3️⃣ Youth-worship + dieting pressure harms mental + physical health
Restrictive dieting increases cortisol + emotional eating:
https://jissn.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1550-2783-11-7
Hormonal shifts after weight loss increase regain risk (weight cycling harm):
https://academic.oup.com/jcem/article/95/11/5037/2835281
