Does Low-Fat Diet Help Prevent Cancer?
This may be a major shocker: a low-fat diet does not reduce your cancer or heart disease risk.
Based on a national study of women conducted in the past 10 years Women’s Health Initiative found that low-fat diet has no significant effect of a low-fat diet on breast or colorectal cancer rates, heart disease or stroke, according to a report in today’s Journal of the American Medical Association.
“The diet by itself, at least one that’s achievable by most people, is not as effective as we had hoped it would be in changing the total disease picture for women,” Dr. David Curb, principal investigator for Hawaii’s WHI studies, said in an interview.
The latest study also found that high-carbohydrate, low-fat diet did not increase body weight, triglycerides or blood glucose or insulin levels, signs of increased risk of diabetes.
Same time, low-fat diets targeted to women with specific issues, such as high LDL or “bad” cholesterol, are extremely beneficial.
Earlier studies suggest that women who reduced their total fat intake had a 9 percent lower risk of breast cancer than those who did not change their diet.
This doesn’t mean that you must run to the nearest deli and gorge on the fattest ham and cheese. The healthiest group of women in the study ate more vegetables, fruits and grains along with high intake of polyunsaturated and monounsaturated fats, containing in olive oil, nuts and seeds. The healthy diet must be low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol.
Cutting trans fats and saturated fats is the easiest way to help your heart and lose weight. Being overweight means being unhealthy, and reducing fats and, consequently, calories, is the easiest way to control weight.
Also keep in mind that chronic diseases take a long time to develop – much longer than eight years covered by this or any other study.
Tags: breast cancer, cancer, diet
You can comment below, or link to this permanent URL from your own site.
July 11, 2008 at 6:51 am
It is therefore very important to create a balance between exercise, rest and diet to stay healthy and fit. Exercising too much and eating too little will not do you any good so forget about reducing our food and fluid intake to reduce our body size and weight fast. We will get sick if you do that.