A new study indicates that yo-yo dieting could be good for you.

Also known as weight cycling, repeatedly losing weight through dieting, only to gain it back (and often more pounds over time) has been criticized in previous research showing it could increase the risk of heart attack, stroke, diabetes and higher blood pressure.

But a new study, published in the magazine BMC Medicine shows that yo-yo dieting confers long-term health benefits by reducing levels of harmful abdominal fat, also known as visceral fat.

The research, called “the largest MRI-based long-term repeat weight loss trial,” demonstrates that each weight loss attempt has the potential to improve overall well-being.

The study’s lead researcher, Professor Iris Shai, says the research challenges the traditional approach to weight loss as a simple “numbers game”.

“Persistent commitment to a healthy dietary change creates cardiometabolic memory in the body.

“Repeated participation in a lifestyle program aimed at weight loss, even after an apparent ‘failure’ in which an individual regains all the weight lost on a previous diet, can lead to significant and sustainable health benefits over years, particularly through the reduction of harmful visceral fat.”

Body weight alone does not capture changes in visceral fat or metabolic biomarkers, explained lead author Hadar KleinPhD student at Ben-Gurion University of the Negev.

“Even when weight is regained, cardiometabolic health can continue to improve and success should not be defined solely by the number on the scale.”

“Importantly, even when weight loss is attenuated during a second attempt, the cumulative benefits to belly fat and metabolic health are substantial.”

For the study, researchers followed up after five and ten years with participants from two consecutive randomized controlled dietary trials lasting 18 months each, including about 300 participants.

The trials looked at participants following a Mediterranean diet-based intervention with physical activity and compared them to control diets, using detailed MRI scans performed before and after each intervention.

Surprisingly, the study found that although participants entered the second intervention with a body weight similar to that at the start of the first (indicating full weight regain), their abdominal fat profile and metabolic markers were more favorable.

They showed improvements of around 15% to 25% compared to their baseline levels, including increased insulin sensitivity and a more favorable lipid profile.

The researchers say their findings point to the existence of a positive “cardiometabolic memory” from a previous intervention that persists even after weight regain.

The study also showed that although participants who rejoined the weight loss program lost less weight during the second intervention, they maintained better long-term health outcomes.

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“Five years after completing the second intervention, these participants showed less weight regain and less abdominal fat accumulation compared to participants who had participated in a weight loss program only once,” Professor Shai said.

The team collaborated with researchers from Harvard’s Department of Nutrition, Leipzig University Hospital in Germany, and Tulane University School of Public Health in New Orleans.

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