A feasibility study was instituted to determine if women with postmenopausal breast cancer would follow a low-fat diet (20% of kcal) for at least four months. Nineteen women, whose baseline food intake was 1,504 +/- 420 kcal with 56 +/- 16 g of fat, reported a decrease in fat intake to 21 +/- 6 g after two months of dietary intervention. Serum concentrations of cholesterol, HDL cholesterol, and estradiol were significantly reduced by the fifth month on the diet. We conclude that self-selected patients can adhere to a low-fat diet, and that serum cholesterol may serve as an indicator of dietary compliance.

No abstract