02/10/2006

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Chow Line: Diet, exercise still important for health (for 2/19/06)

Writer:

Martha Filipic
filipic.3@osu.edu
614-292-9833

Source:

Sharron Coplin, Human Nutrition

What is your take on the women's health study that indicates an improved diet doesn't help reduce disease?

Actually, the findings showed that the links between diet, health and disease are more complex than can be seen in the limitations inherent of even this large study.

First, some background. Three studies resulting from the Women's Health Initiative were published in the Journal of the American Medical Association on Feb. 8. For the initiative, researchers recruited 48,835 women between the ages of 50 and 79 beginning in 1993. Forty percent received intensive nutrition counseling -- 18 group sessions during the first year, with quarterly maintenance sessions afterwards -- and each was told how many fat grams she should consume each day based on her height with a goal of limiting fat to 20 percent of total calories. The other 60 percent of the women simply received a copy of the Dietary Guidelines for Americans and other health-related materials.

After 8.1 years, the studies found no significant differences in rates of colorectal cancer, stroke and heart disease between the groups, and a small but not statistically significant reduction in risk for breast cancer for the low-fat group. But here are some points to remember:

• The low-fat group did reduce fat intake more than the control group. But their intake of "good" fats -- polyunsaturated and monounsaturated from vegetable oils, nuts and fish -- also declined. The study was not designed to focus on the "bad" fats -- saturated and trans fats -- whose importance emerged significantly during the 1990s, after the initiative began. Researchers did find that women who initially consumed more overall fat appeared to reduce their risk for breast cancer significantly by reducing fat intake. In addition, few women in the low-fat group -- only 14 percent by year six -- met the goal of reducing fat intake to 20 percent of total calories.
• The study looked at overall grain consumption, but didn't differentiate between whole grains, which appear to provide much greater health benefits, and refined grains.
• The low-fat group ate one more serving of fruits or vegetables a day than the control group -- a modest difference, but perhaps not enough.
• The study didn't look at the roles of weight and exercise.

The take-away message might sound familiar: Don't let the findings of one study dishearten you. The best advice remains: Eat more fruits and vegetables, whole grains and beans; limit saturated and trans fats; maintain a healthy weight; and stay physically active.

Chow Line is a service of Ohio State University Extension and the Ohio Agricultural Research and Development Center. Send questions to Chow Line, c/o Martha Filipic, 2021 Coffey Road, Columbus, OH 43210-1044, or filipic.3@osu.edu.

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Editor: This column was reviewed by Sharron Coplin, registered dietitian and Ohio State University Extension associate in the Department of Human Nutrition, College of Human Ecology.

To receive a PDF file of Chow Line via e-mail, contact Martha Filipic at filipic.3@osu.edu.