Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: SUNDAY, March 20, 1994                   TAG: 9403200053
SECTION: NATIONAL/INTERNATIONAL                    PAGE: A-1   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: Associated Press
DATELINE: TAMPA, FLA.                                LENGTH: Medium

YO-YO DIETING TIED TO HEART RISK FOR MEN

The results appear to raise questions about research that has established obesity as a risk for heart disease, said the study's author, Steven N. Blair, an epidemiologist at the Cooper Institute for Aerobics Research in Dallas.

"It's a paradox," Blair said. Researchers know that gaining weight raises the risks of disease. But it's not clear whether losing weight lowers the risks again, he said.

"One of the fundamental tenets of the weight loss industry is if you get people to eat less, they'll lose weight. And if they lose weight, they'll be better off. And there is no evidence to support either one of those," Blair said.

He discussed his findings Saturday at the American Heart Association's annual epidemiology meeting.

The study also found that men who keep their weight steady, even if they are overweight, have less risk of disease than men whose weight fluctuates by as little as 10 pounds.

Earlier studies have also suggested that losing and regaining weight, or "yo-yo dieting," is associated with higher health risks than keeping weight steady.

"In general, weight cycling has been hard to figure out," said Dr. Stephen P. Fortmann, a professor of medicine at Stanford University and one of the organizers of the heart association meeting. "It is another reason not to diet."

The best way to control weight is through exercise, not dieting, Fortmann said. Blair suggested a low-fat diet with a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables. He advised people to avoid gaining weight in the first place.

The study was based on a survey of 12,025 Harvard University graduates with an average age of 67. The question Blair asked them was: "How often are you dieting [eating less than you would like]?"

Those who said "always" had a heart disease rate of 23.1 percent, more than double the 10.6 rate of those who answered "never."

The men who always dieted had a 38.3 percent rate of hypertension and 14.6 percent rate of diabetes, compared with a 23.4 percent rate of hypertension and 3 percent rate of diabetes for those who said they never dieted.