Treatment of overweight in children and adolescents: does dieting increase the risk of eating disorders?

OBJECTIVE

Overweight is a serious health problem in children and adolescents. Some investigators fear that dieting, the principal method of reducing body weight, may precipitate eating disorders and related complications. This review examined the literature on the effects of dieting on eating behavior and psychological status in youth.

METHOD

Electronic databases were searched for articles containing combinations of the following keywords: weight loss, dieting, treatment, overweight, obesity, anorexia, bulimia, binge eating, eating disorder, children, and adolescents. A manual search of reference lists also was conducted.

RESULTS

Five relevant studies were found. Their findings suggest that a professionally administered weight loss poses minimal risks of precipitating eating disorders in overweight children and adolescents. Significant improvements in psychological status also were observed in several studies.

DISCUSSION

Concerns about potential ill effects of dieting should not dissuade overweight youth from pursuing sensible methods of weight loss.