Daily HealthBeat Tip - January 23, 2007

Low fat and breast cancer

From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I'm Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.

A low-fat diet is not easy for many people to live with. But a study indicates it could help protect some women's lives. These are women who have been through menopause, who had breast cancer that was caught early, and who got the standard treatments doctors recommend.

Women in the study got 20 percent or less of their calories from fat. About 30 percent is more typical in America.

Researchers followed them followed them about five years. The study, supported by the National Institutes of Health, was in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Rowan Chlebowski of Harbor View-UCLA Medical Center gave an update at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium in Texas:

"They had 22 percent fewer recurrences, which is borderline statistically significant, and perhaps more importantly, 22 percent less risk of dying." (7 seconds)

Learn more at www.hhs.gov.

HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I'm Ira Dreyfuss.

Last revised: January, 25 2007