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Losing weight can lower protein level associated with cancer: Study
A new study has revealed that women are losing their weight through diet and exercise showed lower levels of certain proteins in the blood, that play a role in angiogenesis.
Zee Media Bureau
Washington: A new study has revealed that women are losing their weight through diet and exercise showed lower levels of certain proteins in the blood, that play a role in angiogenesis.
Angiogenesis is the process of blood vessel growth that canalso promote the growth and survival of cancer cells.
The study showed that women who controlled their diet as well as indulged in exercise to gain weight loss also had significantly lower levels of the angiogenesis-related proteins than women in the control group.
But researchers said that such effects were not apparent in those in the exercise-only group of women.
Catherine Duggan of Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center, said,"Our study shows that weight loss is a safe and effective method of improving the angiogenic profile in healthy individuals".
Women who have controlled their diet lost around 8.5 per cent of the body weight. While women who indulged in exercise lost 2.4 per cent of body weight, those who controlled diet as well as did exercise lost 10.8 per cent.
On the other hand, women who did not indulge in any activity lost merely 0.8 per cent.
Duggan added that exercise is important for helping to prevent weight gain, and to maintain weight loss, but does not cause a large amount of weight loss on its own.
"Our study shows that making lifestyle changes -- in this case simple changes to the diet to reduce weight -- can lower the risk factors for cancer," Duggan further added.
In the study, published in the journal American Association for Cancer Research, the team analysed 439 obese, healthy, sedentary post-menopausal women aged 50 to 75.
They were assigned to one of the four categories: First in which women restricted their calorie intake to not more than 2,000 kilocalorie per day; second in which women performed 45 minutes of moderate to vigorous aerobic exercise five days a week; third a combined diet plus exercise group; and lastly a group which did not indulge in any of these activities.
The effect of exercise and diet on the circulating levels of proteins related to angiogenesis after 12 months was measured in these participants.
(With IANS Inputs)