Here is a news article from our local television station. Not sure how to get this on the LC home page, thought it was intersting though


More Benefits to Low-Carb Lifestyle?

Studies have shown that carbohydrates can stimulate insulin growth factor, which can stimulate cancer cells to grow

Aug 13, 2004 5:12 pm US/Eastern
Pittsburgh (KDKA)

Like many of us, Cathy Tatum has tried lots of diets to try and maintain a healthy weight; but now she's dieting for a different reason.

" I think it's a real important way for us to learn new treatments and new ways to prevent diseases, especially." -- Cathy Tatum, In Clinical Trial
Tatum volunteered to help researchers at Ohio State's Comprehensive Cancer Center answer an important question:

Can low-carb or low-fat diets help lower the risk of breast cancer?

Researchers put Tatum on a diet specifically designed for her. While she watches what she eats, scientists will watch for a hormone in her body known as insulin growth factor.

"We want to see if changing the woman's diet to lower the fat, plus exercise will reduce the insulin growth factor." -- Electra Paskett, Ph.D., Researcher
Studies have shown that carbohydrates can stimulate the insulin growth factor -- which in turn can stimulate cancer cells to grow.

So on this diet, researchers won't just focus on how much a woman weighs -- but how her body responds internally.
"We should be seeing some good things in her body as far as these bio-markers that we're looking at; so then we'll tell her how she's doing and if she's doing well, does that make her stay adherent." -- Electra Paskett, Ph.D., Researcher
Paskett says too many women are too dependent on the scale to tell them if their diet is a success or not. She's trying to find out if there are other benefits to dieting besides looking thin -- that will make more women committed to fitness.

Women who take part in the study will be on a tailor-made diet designed to help them lose two-pounds per week. They will be monitored and evaluated for a total of 18-months.