Women who followed the diet lost, on average, 8.5% of their starting weight after one year. Those who completed both the diet and exercise lost 10.8% of their starting weight. However, those who followed only the exercise plan lost a mere 2.4% of their starting weight.
"A third of United States adults are obese, and another third are overweight. So the condition of excess fat tissue affects the majority of persons," McTiernan said. "By studying whether and how overweight and obesity affect cancer risk, we hope to be able to design ways to prevent cancer."