title: Assessment of adherence to a low-fat diet for breast cancer prevention.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Los Angeles.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Heber
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ashley
authors.forename: W J
authors.initials: WJ
authors.lastname: McCarthy
authors.forename: M E
authors.initials: ME
authors.lastname: Solares
authors.forename: D A
authors.initials: DA
authors.lastname: Leaf
authors.forename: L J
authors.initials: LJ
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Elashoff
mesh_terms: 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
chemical_list: D004041:Dietary Fats; D014280:Triglycerides; D002784:Cholesterol