Assessment of adherence to a low-fat diet for breast cancer prevention.
BACKGROUND
The relationships between self-reported adherence to a low-fat diet in healthy women between the ages of 44 and 69 and a number of correlates of this self-reported behavior were examined in an attempt to improve monitoring of adherence to nutritional intervention trials for breast cancer prevention.


METHODS
Dietary fat intake in 87 women who completed 6 months of nutritional intervention was reduced from 38.2 +/- 5.9% to 21.7 +/- 7.8% of total energy intake (P less than 0.005). Reported total calorie intake was reduced by approximately 20%.


RESULTS
Body weight decreased by 2.7% from 68.1 +/- 11.2 kg to 66.3 +/- 11.9 kg (P less than 0.05). Fasting total plasma cholesterol levels decreased from 205 +/- 31 mg/dl to 184 +/- 29 mg/dl (P less than 0.05). Fasting plasma triglyceride levels did not change significantly (97 +/- 44 mg/dl vs 101 +/- 55 mg/dl). Relative percentage changes in body weight correlated with percentage changes in dietary fat intake (r = 0.23, P less than 0.05).


CONCLUSIONS
Self-reported changes in dietary behavior correlated significantly with objective changes in body weight and fasting cholesterol in these healthy women encouraged to consume a low-fat diet for prevention of breast cancer.
Heber
D
D
Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Los Angeles.
Ashley
J M
JM
McCarthy
W J
WJ
Solares
M E
ME
Leaf
D A
DA
Chang
L J
LJ
Elashoff
R M
RM
D000328:Adult; D001835:Body Weight / Q000502:physiology; D001943:Breast Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D002784:Cholesterol / Q000097:blood; D004032:Diet; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000009:adverse effects; D002149:Energy Intake; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion; D006801:Humans; D008875:Middle Aged; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood
D004041:Dietary Fats; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol