From these data, the researchers devised a bold new theory: Dieting and weight concerns make people overeat and gain weight. Dieting remains pervasive in American culture, but the milkshake study, and similar ones that followed, nonetheless reshaped many Americans’ views of dieting and obesity. Experts concluded that all types of eating disorders—including anorexia, binge eating, and bulimia—can be brought on by intentionally trying to reduce the number of calories that you eat. Some scientists believe that dietary restraint causes obesity too.