Periodically cutting down on calories is better protection from breast cancer than regular dieting. The fact was discovered by scientists from Hormel Institute, an independent research branch of the University of Minnesota.
Researchers experimented on three sets of mice prone to developing breast tumors. The first group had unlimited diet, the second one had its calorie intake periodically cut by 25%, and the third one was restricted to a calorie intake permanently reduced by 25%.
The results showed those from the second group felt the best, with only 9% developing breast tumors. Among mice from unlimited diet group, 71% got breast cancer. Among permanent diet group the risk of cancer was at 35%.
Before the discovery, scientists argued that systematic low-calorie diet slows down the tumor growth while the return to a regular diet causes a rise in IGF-1 levels, a hormone linked to the promotion of breast cancer.
Source of the image: sxc.hu/profile/Brybs.
