Low-Fat Diet not Enough
Reported February 13, 2006
(Ivanhoe Newswire) — Three new studies reveal postmenopausal women following a low-fat eating pattern do not significantly reduce their risk of breast cancer, heart disease, stroke or colon cancer.
During the Women’s Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial, researchers examined 50,000 healthy postmenopausal women for eight years. The women were divided into two groups: One group followed a low-fat diet, consuming 24 percent of calories from fat, while the other group followed a normal diet, consuming 35 percent of calories from fat.
Investigators analyzed data from the national diet study to determine the effect of a low-fat diet and high consumption of vegetables, fruits and grains on cardiovascular disease (CVD), coronary heart disease (CHD) risk and breast cancer risk. They found no difference between the two groups in terms of CVD risk, CHD risk, stroke, breast cancer or colon cancer.
“Nutrition knowledge has progressed dramatically since the study began,” says Mara Vitolins, M.D., Ph.D., an associate professor of public health sciences at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center in Winston-Salem, N.C. “Today, we know that reducing total fat may not be enough. We need to focus on the types of fat we eat.”
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Director Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D., says, “The results of this study do not change established recommendations on disease prevention. Women should continue to get regular mammograms and screenings for colorectal cancer and work with their doctors to reduce their risk for heart disease including following a diet low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol.”
SOURCE: The Journal of the American Medical Association, 2006;295:629-666