(Circulation. 2000;102:e28.)
© 2000 American Heart Association, Inc.
Correspondence |
Scientific Conference on Preventive Nutrition
12 Sir Francis Wyatt Place Newport News, VA 23606-3660, wbgrant@norfolk.infi.net
To the Editor:
The summary of a scientific conference on preventive
nutrition1 represents a step in the right
direction, but the summary does not incorporate the latest information
on dietary causes of chronic disease. Thus, it stops short of making
recommendations that will significantly reduce the risk of chronic
disease, especially in the elderly. For example, 
5 case-control and
cohort studies have found that the nonfat portion of milk has the
highest association with prostate cancer. This result is supported by
an ecological study involving 41 countries.2 Although
there is still debate on how calcium in milk causes the association,
the epidemiological evidence linking skim milk consumption to prostate
cancer is very strong.
More importantly, the recommendation of keeping total fat to just 30%
of total calories is too high to protect many persons from a
number of chronic diseases given the total caloric intake in the
typical diet and lipid profile in the United States. The
prevalence of Alzheimer’s disease in the United States, which
is slightly >5% among those aged 65 years, seems to be proportional
to dietary fat in grams per day at the time of incidence and inversely
related to fish oils and, likely, other omega-3 oils.3 The
probable mechanism of this association is inflammation, which cuts off
blood flow to parts of the brain and results in the death of those
parts of the brain. Genetics also plays a role, but it seems to be
secondary to diet on the basis of a comparison of international
prevalence.3 Breast cancer is likely related to dietary
fat early in life. An ecological study found that dietary fat supply 10
to 15 years before breast cancer mortality gave the best statistical
results.4 An energy-rich diet in childhood leads to
earlier menarche and, thus, to an increased lifetime dose of estrogen,
which is a risk factor for breast cancer. Colon cancer is related to a
diet high in animal fat and animal products, which are uncommon in
developing countries.5
Despite some of the weaknesses of the summary, it is useful in many respects and should help move forward the debate on nutrition and health.
References
-
Deckelbaum RJ, Fisher EA, Winston M, et
al. Summary of a scientific conference on preventive
nutrition: pediatrics to geriatrics. Circulation. 1999;100:450–456.
-
Grant WB. An ecologic study of dietary links to
prostate cancer. Altern Med Rev. 1999;4:162–169. Available
at http://www.thorne.com/altmedrev/.fulltext/4/3/162.html
-
Grant WB. Dietary links to Alzheimer’s
disease. Alz Dis Rev. 1997;2:42–55. Available at
http://www.coa.uky.edu/ADReview/contents.htm
-
Sasaki S, Horacsek M, Kestellot H. An ecological study
of the relationship between dietary fat intake and breast cancer
mortality. Prev Med. 1993;22:187–202.
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O’Keefe SJ, Kidd M, Espitalier-Noel G, et al. Rarity
of colon cancer in Africans is associated with low animal product
consumption, not fiber. Am J Gastroenterol. 1999;94:1373–1380.
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