Study: Yo-Yo Dieting Not Linked To Cancer

Yo-Yo Dieting Not Linked To Cancer
Photo Courtesy: UPI

WASHINGTON, Aug. 3 (UPI) — Despite longtime concerns that yo-yo dieting — cycles of losing and gaining weight — can cause certain types of cancer, a large study has shown no connection.

Previous studies in animals and humans had shown that weight cycling could disrupt bodily processes causing factors such as inflammation or increase in immune cell accumulation, known to increase the chances of developing various cancers.

“For the millions of Americans struggling to lose weight, the last thing they need to worry about is that if it comes back, they might raise their risk of cancer,” said Dr. Victoria Stevens, strategic director for laboratory services at the American Cancer Society, in a press release. “This study, to our knowledge the largest and most comprehensive to date on the issue, should be reassuring.”

Using medical data for 62,792 men and 69,520 women collected for the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort in 1992, looking at links between weight cycling and incidence of cancer.

During 17 years of follow-up in the Cancer Prevention Study, 15,333 men and 9,984 women developed cancer. Weight cycling, however, was found not to be linked to incidence of 15 types of cancer studied by researchers. Researchers adjusted for BMI and other health factors, and still did not find a connection between weight cycling and cancer.

“Our findings suggest that overweight and obese individuals shouldn’t let fears about their ability to maintain weight loss keep them from trying to lose weight in the first place,” Stevens said.

The study is published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

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