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 < 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 < 0.05). Fasting total plasma cholesterol levels decreased from 205 ± 31 mg/dl to 184 ± 29 mg/dl ( P < 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 < 0.05). Conclusion. 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.