[Jog] Fwd: CDN-LIST: NIH - NEWS FROM THE WOMEN'S HEALTH INITIATIVE:REDUCING TOTAL FAT INTAKE MAY HAVE S

[Jennifer L YOUNG]

FYI
 
Jennifer Young, MPH, RD
Nutrition and Physical Activity Coordinator
Office of Family Health
DHS - Heath Services
800 NE Oregon St., Ste. 825
Portland, OR 97232
telephone: (971) 673-0245
fax: (971) 673-0240
jennifer.l.young at state.or.us    

>>> zov2 at cdc.gov 2/7/2006 2:15:01 PM >>>

CDN-LIST
A one-way chronic disease nutrition listserv of the Division of
Nutrition & Physical Activity, Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
------------------------------------------------------------------------
Forwarding subject National Institutes of Health press release for
your
information.
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U.S. Department of Health and Human Services 
NATIONAL INSTITUTES OF HEALTH 
NIH News 
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/

EMBARGOED FOR RELEASE: Tuesday, February 7, 2006, 4:00 p.m. ET

CONTACT: NHLBI Communications Office, 301-496-4236,
nhlbi_news at nhlbi.nih.gov

NEWS FROM THE WOMEN'S HEALTH INITIATIVE: REDUCING TOTAL FAT INTAKE MAY
HAVE SMALL EFFECT ON RISK OF BREAST CANCER, NO EFFECT ON RISK OF
COLORECTAL CANCER, HEART DISEASE, OR STROKE

Following an eating pattern lower in total fat did not significantly
reduce the incidence of breast cancer, heart disease, or stroke, and
did
not reduce the risk of colorectal cancer in healthy postmenopausal
women, according to the latest clinical trial results from the
National
Institutes of Health's Women's Health Initiative (WHI). 

The study was designed to evaluate a low-fat dietary pattern's effect
on
the risk of cancer. However, investigators also evaluated the data to
review the effect on cardiovascular disease. The results from the
largest ever clinical trial of low-fat diet are reported in three
papers
in the February 8 edition of the "Journal of the American Medical
Association". 

Among the 48,835 women who participated in the trial, there were no
significant differences in the rates of colorectal cancer, heart
disease, or stroke between the group who followed a low-fat dietary
plan
and the comparison group who followed their normal dietary patterns.
Although the women in the study who reduced their total fat intake had
a
9 percent lower risk of breast cancer than did women who made no
dietary
changes, the difference was not large enough to be statistically
significant -- meaning it could have been due to chance. 

By the end of the first year, the low-fat diet group reduced average
total fat intakes to 24 percent of calories from fat, but did not meet
the study's goal of 20 percent. At year six, the low-fat diet group
was
consuming 29 percent of calories from fat. The comparison group
averaged
35 percent of calories from fat at year one and 37 percent at year
six.
Women in both groups started at 35-38 percent of calories from fat.
The
low fat diet group also increased their consumption of vegetables,
fruits, and grains. 

Women were aged 50-79 at trial enrollment in 1993-98 and were followed
for an average of 8.1 years. The study diet focused on reducing total
fat, and unlike diets used to reduce heart disease risk, did not
differentiate between "good fats" found in fish, nuts, and vegetable
oils, and "bad" fats like saturated fat and trans fat found in
processed
foods, meats, and some dairy products. The study design reflected a
widely believed but untested theory that reduction of total fat would
reduce risks of breast or colorectal cancers. For heart disease, it
was
anticipated that reduction in total fat would be accompanied by a
reduction in saturated fats, which are known to contribute to heart
disease risk. 

"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 risks for heart disease including following a diet low in
saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol," said National Heart, Lung,
and Blood Institute Director Elizabeth G. Nabel, M.D. 

The U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults keep
total fat intake between 20 and 35 percent of calories, and saturated
fats less than 10 percent of calories, with most fats coming from
sources of polyunsaturated fats and monounsaturated fats, such as
fish,
nuts, and vegetable oils. For people with heart disease or at high
risk
for heart disease, targets for saturated fats may be further lowered. 

"This study shows that just reducing total fat intake does not go far
enough to have an impact on heart disease risk. While the
participants'
overall change in LDL "bad" cholesterol was small, we saw trends
towards
greater reductions in cholesterol and heart disease risk in women
eating
less saturated and trans fat," said Jacques Rossouw, M.D., WHI project
officer. 

The study also found that following a high-carbohydrate, low-fat
eating
pattern does not increase body weight, triglycerides or indicators of
increased risk of diabetes such as blood glucose or insulin levels in
women. 

"Study data indicate that women who started with the highest fat
intake
and who had greater changes in fat intake, show stronger evidence for
reduction in their risk of breast cancer. Longer follow-up may be
needed
to show the effects of diet on cancer risk over time," said Leslie G.
Ford, M.D., National Cancer Institute. 

Though the overall risk of colorectal cancer was unchanged in the
dietary trial, secondary analyses suggested a possible benefit in
women
who were taking aspirin or combined hormone therapy (estrogen plus
progestin); however, these findings could have occurred by chance.
Polyps and adenomas (thought to be precursors of cancer) were reduced
by
9%, suggesting that a benefit for colorectal cancer risk might emerge
over time. 

The WHI is the most comprehensive study to date of the causes and
prevention of the major diseases affecting the health of older women.
Over 15 years, the study's findings on heart disease, breast and
colorectal cancer, and osteoporosis have stimulated many changes in
clinical practice. The WHI is also one of the largest studies of its
kind ever undertaken in the United States and is considered a model
for
future studies of women's health. 

This study of low-fat dietary pattern is one of the three randomized
clinical trials that make up the WHI. The others included trials of
hormone therapy --  estrogen plus progestin and estrogen alone. Both
trials were stopped early, estrogen plus progestin in 2002 and
estrogen
alone in 2004 because of increased risk of diseases like stroke, blood
clots, and breast cancer. Results of a third clinical trial studying
the
effects of calcium and Vitamin D supplementation on
osteoporosis-related
bone fractures and on colorectal cancer will be published in February
2006. 

Resources: 

-- For current recommendations on eating patterns for heart health,
please see the new Your Guide to a Healthy Heart book available at
http://emall.nhlbihin.net/. 
-- For information on women and heart disease, see www.hearttruth.gov.

-- For information on weight loss, see Aim for a Healthy Weight,
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/public/heart/obesity/lose_wt/index.htm

-- For information on eating for general health, see
www.health.gov/dietary guidelines/dga2005/recommendations.htm 
-- For more on the Women's Health Initiative, see
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/whi/ 
To interview a scientist about this study, contact the NHLBI
Communications Office at (301) 496-4236. 

WHI -- a Legacy to Future Generations, a conference on the past,
present, and future of WHI, including synthesis of findings generated
from the WHI observational study and all four clinical trials --
estrogen plus progestin
(http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/new/press/02-07-09.htm), estrogen alone
(http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/new/press/04-04-13), dietary modification,
and
calcium/vitamin D -- will be held February 28-March 1, 2006 on the NIH
campus. For more information and a conference agenda, go to:
http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/whi/references.htm. For more information on
the
Women's Health Initiative, see http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/whi. 

NHLBI is part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), the Federal
Government's primary agency for biomedical and behavioral research.
NIH
is a component of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
NHLBI press releases and other materials including information about
the
WHI and eating for heart health are available online at
www.nhlbi.nih.gov. 

The National Institutes of Health (NIH) -- "The Nation's Medical
Research Agency" -- includes 27 Institutes and Centers and is a
component of the U. S. Department of Health and Human Services. It is
the primary Federal agency for conducting and supporting basic,
clinical, and translational medical research, and it investigates the
causes, treatments, and cures for both common and rare diseases. For
more information about NIH and its programs, visit http://www.nih.gov.
  
##

This NIH News Release is available online at:
http://www.nih.gov/news/pr/feb2006/nhlbi-07.htm.

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