According to wikipedia, "hormones are chemicals released by cells that affect cells in other parts of the body". Now, I'm not a doctor, but I think "hormone imbalance" is probably the most general thing one can say about a health problem.

Kind of like my program doesn't work because the characters aren't lined up correctly...

Or, my favorite, "there were some zeros and ones mixed up."

It sounds pretty vague to me. For being a press release about his health, it doesn't really say much. (Not that it should reveal everything, but horomone imbalance is vague.)

The more Jobs says in public about his health --- even vaguely --- the more trouble Apple gets in as a corporation if they're caught dissembling about it. The fact that Jobs wrote anything at all about his health is an indicator that he doesn't believe he's in trouble.

In particular, are hormone imbalances frequently comorbid with, say, pancreatic cancer?

Jobs doesn't have typical pancreatic cancer, or he'd almost certainly be dead by now. He has a carcinoid, some of which do pump out hormones that can cause effects like weight loss (and nausea, diarrhea, etc.). These symptoms are treatable.

My father in law has a variety of this. He lost something like 70-80 pounds before they got it under control, but has been doing well for years now.

Also, he's a vegan which could complicate his nutritional problems.

Yes he mentioned it was a nutritional problem, with a simple solution - chances are for years he has been depriving himself unknowingly of something important.

Uh, no, chances are not that. Unless you are very stupid (and I don't think he is....) you can get what you need with just about any diet.

Replace that with "Unless you are reasonably smart (and I think he is) you don't get what you need with certain diets."

The issue with vegetarianism is that humans are not meant to eat just vegetables. Therefore, great care must be taken to get certain nutrients which are not found often in vegetables. Protein is the big one, but there are others.

However, with a properly crafted diet (an issue that most? vegetarians run into) you should be able to get everything. (possibly with the aid of supplements).

Yeah. Have you ever seen the food schedule for someone who beat cancer? Surf and Turf. Steak and Potatoes. Salmon and Chicken. 4 or 5 meals a day once your appetite comes back.

Cancer treatments typically deplete the body of protein and lean tissue, and most doctors agree that eating meat is just the fastest/easiest way to recover.

Its possible/probable a macrobiotic diet could contain enough protein and still be 100% vegan, but if there's another "imbalance" (say GMO Soy or Legumes which contain Estrogen) that could create issues he's had to deal with during his recovery.

When I was in the UK I tried out "quorn" - I think that was how you spelled it. Basically a fungal/mushroom grown substance that is high in protein. All the vegoes I knew loved it (actually it tasted good to me), that and lots of beans/legumes.

I really don't enjoy eating meat - so once I tried vegetarianism for about 4 months. I have never been so sick in my life ! It probably was co-incidence, or could have been lack of some nutrients (or body adjusting) but it was horrible.

Complicates as in ... ?

Lots of ways. Vegans are an extreme minority. I assume most medical diets are designed for the majority of people. They probably had to formulate a special diet for him that was vegan, and it may have taken a while to find the proper mix.

Also, statistical outlook data for cancers, surgeries, etc, are based on statistically average populations. Vegan people deviate that from that population, and that could mean their outlook/treatment be different.

Jobs' whipple surgery drastically changed his digestive system. And because it's at least sort of rareish, I am not sure any good data exists for proper procedure on vegans who have undergone a whipple surgery.

See: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Pancreaticoduodenectomy

And: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Veganism

I've read that Steve Jobs is a pescetarian, which in general is much healthier than being a vegan (it is much easier to get essential nutrients such as B vitamins with fish). Here's one source: http://www.experiencefestival.com/a/Steve_Jobs_-_Personal_li...

In the fourth paragraph: "Jobs is a pescetarian (not a vegetarian or vegan as is often claimed) — although he does not eat mammalian meat, he reportedly eats fish from time to time."

Good article on Bloomberg: Steve Jobs’s Weight Loss May Have Been Spurred by Tumor Surgery (http://www.bloomberg.com/apps/news?pid=20601087&sid=aWiP...)

Or a side effect of cancer treatment . . . .

Send your questions to: [email protected] and Slate'll get one of their assistants on it ASAP.

The hormone that matters most for fat is insulin. And yes, that puts things smack dab at the door of the pancreas. An insulin shot will tend to make you gain weight (like it does to type 1 diabetics). Don't know what Jobs' doctors are telling him to do.

I thought he lost muscle, not fat. (Otherwise why would he say ..rob protein...)