YOYO DIETING CAUSES CANCER ALSO
Report #7069; 3/16/97
We've known for a long time that repeatedly losing and gaining weight causes gall stones and heart attacks and shortens life. Recent research from Indiana University School of Medicine shows that yoyoing may also cause uterine, breast and prostate cancer (1).
Dr. Robert Bigsby injected three estrogen-like hormones into mice for three straight days: beta-hexachlorocyclohexane, an estrogen form stored in fat; DDT, the estrogen insecticide form stored in fat; and beta-HCH, the estrogen form from the insecticide Lindane. All three estrogens stimulated the inner lining of the uterus to grow. Much of the estrogen was stored in the body as fat. When an animal is put on a fast, fat breaks down and releases estrogen into the bloodstream. When the mice fasted, DDT stayed in the fat, but the compound that came from the insecticide, Lindane, was released from the fat into the bloodstream, causing the uterus to enlarge. This means that fasting raises blood levels of estrogen, which could spread an already active uterine or breast cancer throughout the body. This study shows that fasting can spread existing cancer and that the already banned DDT and the presently used Lindane, may increase a woman's chances of suffering uterine or breast cancer. Add this to studies which show that food restriction causes binges (2) and yoyoing causes heart disease, high blood pressure and diabetes (3,4). Gaining weight rapidly causes arteriosclerosis and losing weight rapidly causes gall stones (5). So, you should not start a weight-reduction diet unless you plan to stay on the diet forever.
By Gabe Mirkin, M.D., for CBS Radio News
1) Cancer Research, March, 1997.
2) J Polivy. Psychological consequences of food restriction. Journal of the American Dietetic Association 96: 6 (JUN 1996): 589-592. self-imposed dieting appear to result in eating binges once food is available and in psychological manifestations such as preoccupation with food and eating, increased emotional responsiveness and dysphoria, and distractibility.
3) Steve Blair American Heart Association's annual epidemiology meeting March 20, 1994.
4) NEJM June 27, 1991.
5) RL Gebhard, WF Prigge, HJ Ansel, L Schlasner, SR Ketover, D Sande, K Holtmeier, FJ Peterson. The role of gallbladder emptying in gallstone formation during diet-induced rapid weight loss. Hepatology 24: 3 (SEP 1996): 544-548.
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