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To the Editor: In their study of low-fat diet and weight change, Dr Howard and colleagues¹ reported mean 1-year and 7.5-year follow-up results comparing a group of women randomized to promote a low-fat diet with a control group randomized to a self-selected diet. They concluded that a low-fat eating pattern does not result in weight gain in postmenopausal women.

The mean weights of the women in the 2 groups did not differ at baseline (76.8 kg, low-fat group; 76.7 kg, control group). On average, the low-fat group weighed less than the control group at 1 year (1.9 kg less) and at 7.5 years (0.4 kg less). Although statistically significant, the actual magnitudes of these differences were small, especially given the study time frame of several years.

However, Table 2 shows that the mean daily caloric intake of the low-fat group was approximately 120 kcal less than the control group. If . . . [Full Text of this Article]

Penelope J. Greene, PhD
penelope_greene@harvard.edu
Harvard School of Public Health
Boston, Mass

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