Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA)
2006; 295:591.

Low-Fat Dietary Pattern and Health Risks in Women

 

Numerous observational and cohort studies have assessed and found inconclusive the relationship of a low-fat, high-fruit, and high-vegetable dietary pattern with breast and colon cancer risk. Principal results of the randomized control led Women's Health Initiative Dietary Modification Trial, which directly assessed the health benefits of a low-fat eating pattern, are reported in this issue of JAMA. Postmenopausal women in the intervention group were advised to reduce total fat intake to 20% of energy and to consume at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables and 6 servings of grains daily; women in the control group continued their usual eating pattern. For an average of 8.1 years of follow-up, the investigators found the dietary intervention was associated with a modest but statistically nonsignificant reduction in invasive breast cancer and no reductions in the risks of colorectal cancer, cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, or stroke.

See Low-Fat Dietary Pattern and Risk of Invasive Breast Cancer; Low-Fat Dietary Pattern and Risk of Colorectal Cancer; Low-Fat Dietary Pattern and Risk of Cardiovascular Disease