As fad diets become the norm and change every few years with different stands like high-carbs or high-protein, people lose and gain weight all over the world in a very rapid manner, which has prompted concerns over different yo-yo dieting risks, particularly whether or not these are actually related to cancer.
A recent study from the American Cancer Society has put the question to rest once and for all by explaining that while there may be yo-yo dieting risks associated with this practice, cancer is nowhere near one of them for neither men nor women.
According to Indian Express, scientists followed over 132,000 men and women between 50 and 74 for the research's 17 years, and on that time over 25,000 of the participants developed cancer, but there was no link between this and losing and gaining weight, settling the matter to rest regarding yo-yo dieting cancer risks.
Science Daily reports that the study on yo-yo dieting cancer risks was published on the latest issue of the American Journal of Epidemiology, under the title "Weight Cycling and Cancer Incidence in a Large Prospective US Cohort."
In fact, people with obesity are encouraged to lose weight even if they end up gaining it back, as the researchers behind the yo-yo dieting risks study explain that these people shouldn't be afraid of being unable to keep their weight once they've lost it.
"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, the lead author of the yo-yo dieting risks study, in a statement to Eureka Alert. "This study, to our knowledge the largest and most comprehensive to date on the issue, should be reassuring. 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."
