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Diet Room
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| The Dangers of Yo-Yo Dieting by John O'Neill Losing weight is good, but losing and regaining weight over and over can damage the immune system, according to a new study. Some research has already suggested that "yo-yo dieting" or "weight cycling" is harmful. But an author of the new study, Dr. Cornelia M. Ulrich of the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, said the warnings against the practice had for the most part been based more on intuition Shan hard evidence. Dr. Ulrich and her colleagues questioned 114 overweight but healthy women older than 50 about their weight histories. Almost three-quarters of the women, the researchers found, had lost more than 10 pounds at least once by dieting in (he previous 20 years. More than half had done that two or more times. The researchers also measured the levels of natural killer cells, immune system cells that aim at viruses and may have a role in fighting cancer, as well. The women who had yo-yo'd most often - five times or more - had the lowest levels of the killer cells; the highest levels were found among women whose weight had been stable for several years. Even women who had only twice lost large amounts of weight showed a decrease in the cells. Dr. Uirich said. Overweight women, she said, clearly benefit from losing weight, and she does not recommend that women stop dieting. But she suggests a more balanced approach. Women should choose "a weight-loss method that is healthy and leads to an overall healthy eating pattern that one is comfortable with in the long run," Dr. Ulrich said. She added that weight-loss plans should include exercise. |
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