Two-day diet could cut risk of cancer

Researchers say that a two-day-a-week diet is better than constant dieting and could reduce the risk of cancer by almost half

Women could cut breast cancer risk by a massive 40 per cent by following a two-day ‘life-saver diet’.

Researchers at The University Hospital in South Manchester trialled a total of three diets on 100 overweight volunteers to find the most effective weight loss method.

Those who followed a two-day diet which restricted them to just 650 calories a day, twice a week, recorded significant improvements in three key areas linked to breast cancer. Women on the two-day diet lost more weight than those dieting every day.

‘There are many breast cancer risk factors that can't be controlled, such as age, gender and family history - but staying at a healthy weight is one positive step that can be taken,’ says Pamela Goldberg, chief executive of the Breast Cancer Campaign.

‘This intermittent dieting approach provides an alternative to conventional dieting which could help with weight loss, but also potentially reduce the risk of developing breast cancer.’

Volunteers on the strict 650-calorie diet were also banned from eating bread and other carbohydrates. However they could eat as much as they liked for the remainder of the week.

Conducted at the Genesis Breast Cancer Prevention Centre at UHSM, the research was published in the International Journal of Obesity.

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