Low-Fat Diet Reduces Breast Cancer Mortality

A low-fat diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and grains reduces the risk of death from breast cancer, according to research that will be presented next month at the American Society of Clinical Oncology conference in Chicago. Researchers followed the diets of 48,835 postmenopausal participants from the Women’s Health Initiative (WHI) Dietary Modification (DM) clinical trial and compared incidence rates and death from breast cancer between a “normal” diet (32 percent of calories from fat) and a diet with a fat-reduction goal of 20 percent of calories from fat with increased fruit, vegetable, and grain consumption. Those in the dietary intervention experienced a 21 percent reduced risk of dying from breast cancer and a 15 percent reduced risk of dying from any cause, compared with the control group. The low-fat group also lost an average of 3 percent body weight.