Low-Fat Diet and Skin Cancer Risk: The Women's Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Dietary Modification Trial

Abstract

Background Large cohort studies have reported no relationship between dietary fat and nonmelanoma skin cancer (NMSC), although a low-fat diet intervention reduced NMSC risk in a small clinical trial. In animal studies, skin tumor development has been reduced by low-fat diet. We evaluated the effect of a low-fat dietary pattern on NMSC and melanoma in the Women’s Health Initiative Dietary Modification trial. Methods Postmenopausal women aged 50 to 79 years (N=48,835) were randomly assigned to the low-fat dietary pattern intervention (N=19,541) or comparison group (N=29,294). The intervention goals included decreasing fat intake to ≤20% of calories, increasing vegetable and fruit intake, and increasing grain intake. Self-reported incident NMSC (N=4,907) and physician-adjudicated incident melanoma (N=279) were ascertained every 6 months. Results Over 8.1 years of follow-up, the low-fat diet intervention did not affect overall incidence of NMSC (hazard ratio [HR] 0.98, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.92–1.04) or melanoma (HR 1.04, 95% CI: 0.82–1.32). In subgroup analyses of melanoma risk, baseline fat intake interacted significantly with group assignment (Pinteraction=0.006). Among women with higher baseline fat intake, the dietary intervention significantly increased risk (HR 1.48; 95% CI: 1.06–2.07), whereas, among women with lower baseline fat intake, the intervention tended to reduce melanoma risk (HR 0.72, 95% CI: 0.50–1.02). Conclusions In this large randomized trial, a low-fat dietary pattern did not affect overall incidence of NMSC or melanoma. Impact A low-fat diet does not reduce incidence of NMSC, but an interaction between baseline fat intake and dietary intervention on melanoma risk warrants further investigation.

Diet Quality and Risk of Melanoma in an Italian Population

“…To date, no epidemiologic studies have assessed the association of a priori-defined dietary patterns on melanoma risk despite the growing awareness of a potential role of diet in its etiology, and only one randomized trial has addressed the effect of complex dietary changes on melanoma risk (30). In that trial, carried out in the United States, a low-fat diet was associated with increased melanoma risk among those with higher baseline fat intake and decreased risk among those with lower baseline fat intake (30).…”

“…In that trial, carried out in the United States, a low-fat diet was associated with increased melanoma risk among those with higher baseline fat intake and decreased risk among those with lower baseline fat intake (30). In the present population-based case-control study, we investigated the risk of cutaneous melanoma in association with 3 well-established a priori diet-quality indices, the Healthy Eating Index 2010 (HEI-2010) 13 (31), the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet (32), and the Greek Mediterranean Index (GMI) (33), and with another pattern we recently defined, the Italian Mediterranean Index (IMI) (34,35).…”

Evaluation des Gesundheitsverhaltens und der Lebensqualität dermatoonkologischer Patienten nach operativer Therapie eines Hauttumors

“…Ibiebele et al zeigten, das eine fett-und fleischreiche Ernährung die Entstehung von Plattenepithelkarzinomen begünstigen kann [11]. Gamba et al konnten diesen Zusammenhang jedoch nicht bestätigen [40]. Tang et al zeigten sogar, dass ein erhöhter BMI mit einem erniedrigten Risiko für nicht-melanozytäre Tumoren einherging, was allerdings in Zusammenhang damit gebracht wurde, dass die übergewichtigen Patienten weniger Aktivitäten im Freien nachgingen und das Haus daher seltener verließen.…”

Diet and Skin Cancer: The Potential Role of Dietary Antioxidants in Nonmelanoma Skin Cancer Prevention

“…A larger experimental study also looked at the effects of a low-fat diet. The subjects were given a dietary plan which entailed decreasing fat intake to less than 20% of caloric intake and consuming at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables daily [ 44 ]. This study did not demonstrate efficacy, but the study design must be considered in evaluating the results.…”