[GovernmentShrinker]

First of all, the message being spread on campuses isn't about "rapid weight loss", it's about ANY weight loss, or even any ATTEMPTED weight loss.

And breast cancer risk increases substantially with a gain of just 20 pounds from weight at high school graduation -- and I think the vast majority of college women weigh 20+ pounds more when they graduate from college, than when they graduated from high school. And those who have only gained 10 pounds or so, usually gain another 10 or more within the first 10 years after college, and most don't think a 20 pound gain from high school weight is a health risk. That message is much more important, since failure to communicate it costs many more lives than anorexia and bulimia do.

Here's a news summary of one fairly recent study:
http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/4374471/

[PennsylvaniaMom]

Any weight loss? Attempted weight loss? Just how would anyone know another student was attempting weight loss if it wasn't something unusual like a rapid weight loss, or a girl who spends an inordinate amount of time in the commode area after meals. Also, the abuse of laxatives is to be looked for. Do you really think the campus community is commenting "Look, Ashley is taking the fat-free dressing again!"

I read the link you posted, and I question why other variable that affect breast cancer were not mentioned. Child birth and lactation come to my mind first off. The more children you have, the longer you nurse, the lower your chance of breast cancer, but conversely, after multiple babies some weight (your 20 lbs. in the ten years post HS graduation) is likely to stay with most women. So I see the study as apples and oranges...were these woman all childless or did they all have the same number of pregnancies. A woman who gained 20 lbs. after multiple pregnancies has a different hormonal history than a woman who gained 20 pounds w/o any pregnancies. So to that study, I would respectfully ask, how was the weight gained?