 |
Low-Fat Diet Improves Breast Cancer Survival
A
new report concludes that breast cancer survivors may reduce the
risk of recurrence by following a low-fat diet. A National Cancer
Institute study followed 2,437 post-menopausal breast cancer patients
for five years after standard surgery and cancer treatments. Researchers
instructed 1,462 of the patients to continue their regular diets,
while 975 patients were given intensive counseling with a dietitian
to reduce their fat intake. The control group consumed an average
of 51.3 grams of fat per day, which is still lower than the average
American’s fat intake. The low-fat
group averaged 33.3 grams per day—slightly more than in a
typical vegetarian diet. After five years, 12.4 percent of the
women eating their usual diet had cancer recurrences, compared
with only 9.8 percent of the low-fat diet group: that’s a 24
percent reduction in recurrence. Low-fat dieters with estrogen-negative
tumors experienced a 42 percent reduction in recurrence.
Chlebowski RT. Dietary fat reduction in postmenopausal women with
primary breast cancer: Phase III Women’s Intervention Nutrition
Study (WINS). Paper presented at: American Society of Clinical
Oncology Annual Meeting; May 16, 2005; Torrance, CA.
|
|
