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Diet

Low-fat diet

Lower-fat eating patterns studied in cancer prevention and survivorship.

Educational only. This page reports what published guidelines and studies describe. It is not medical advice and is not a claim that low-fat diet treats, prevents, or cures cancer. Decisions are yours and your care team's.

What the studies report: a cited, human-reviewed summary, kept current as the evidence changes and retracted findings are removed.

Reviewed Jun 2026 · OncoForge editorial · How we review →

Evidence at a glanceNo graded study evidence yet
165 source documents in the Low-fat diet corpus

last checked June 9, 2026

6 sections — tap any heading to expand its cited detail. Key points are above.

Overview31 points
  • The sources describe a low-fat diet as a dietary pattern with reduced total fat intake and, in one study, relatively higher carbohydrate and protein intake. [1][2][3][4][5]
  • Low-fat diet has been studied in cancer research, especially in breast and prostate cancer, including breast cancer prevention and survival/recurrence outcomes, prostate cancer progression, and biomarker-related outcomes. [6][7][8][9][10][11][12][13][14][15][16][17]
  • The sources discuss low-fat diets in cancer prevention research, including breast cancer, head and neck cancer, skin cancer, colorectal cancer, and gastrointestinal cancers, although some gastrointestinal sources report mixed or limited evidence. [18][1][19][20][21][22][23][24][25][26][27][28][29][30][31][32][33]
  • One older review described dietary fat reduction in well-nourished patients with breast or prostate cancer as a category that may be reasonably recommended in the context of complementary and alternative medicine advice. [11]
  • One large prospective cohort study reported no significant association between low-fat diet scores and the risk of advanced or lethal prostate cancer. [34]
  • In mouse pancreatic cancer models, low-fat diet was used as the comparison diet and was associated with less aggressive disease than some higher-fat or ketogenic diets in the reported experiments. [35][36]
  • The sources describe low-fat diet use in cancer-related settings including chylothorax or chyle leak management, postoperative chylous complications after cancer surgery, and asparaginase-associated hypertriglyceridemia in pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia. [37][38][39][40][41][42][43][44][45]
  • The sources describe low-fat diets in several different cancer-related contexts, including preclinical breast cancer models, tumor immunology, and postoperative chylous complications after cancer surgery. [46][47][48][44]
  • The sources discuss low-fat dietary patterns mainly in non-cancer conditions, breast cancer case-control research, and chylous leakage management after breast surgery, rather than as a cancer treatment diet. [49][50][51][52]
  • The sources describe low-fat dietary patterns mainly in studies of cancer prevention, survivorship, and postoperative care, with most cancer-outcome evidence coming from the Women’s Health Initiative and other long-term randomized trials in women. [53][54][45]
  • In the WHI randomized trials, the low-fat dietary pattern increased fruit, vegetable, and grain intake. [54]
  • The sources describe low-fat diet as a dietary intervention studied in obesity and in cancer-related research, including prevention and treatment settings in animal models. [55][56]
  • In a mouse model of endometrial cancer, mice were fed either a high-fat diet, a low-fat diet, or a high-fat diet switched to low-fat diet before tumor induction and treatment comparisons. [56]
  • In a systematic review of obesity interventions, low-fat diet was one of several dietary patterns searched and included among nutritional strategies for weight management. [55]
  • The sources describe low-fat diet as a dietary pattern with lower total fat intake; one study compared a high-fat diet providing 60% of calories from fat with a low-fat diet providing 10% of calories from fat. [4][5]
  • The sources include studies of low-fat diet in cancer prevention, tumor biology, and a postoperative complication after breast cancer surgery. [4][5][57][58]
  • The sources describe low-fat diet in cancer research mainly in breast cancer prevention and survivorship, with additional studies in oral cancer models and prostate cancer models focused on high-fat diet comparisons. [59][60][61][62]
  • The sources describe low-fat diet mainly in relation to cancer risk, cancer progression, and survivorship rather than as a cancer treatment. [63][64][65][66]
  • The evidence base in the sources is mostly narrative review material and observational study summaries, with some randomized trial context mentioned indirectly in the reviews. [63][64][65][66][67][68]
  • The sources describe low-fat diet research mainly in prostate cancer, breast and gynecologic cancers, psoriasis, and nonmelanoma skin cancer. [33][32][69][31]
  • The sources include randomized trials, animal studies, epidemiologic studies, and reviews, with the strongest cancer-related evidence coming from reviews summarizing small clinical trials and preclinical studies. [33][32][31]
  • The sources discuss low-fat dietary patterns mainly in relation to breast cancer prevention, breast cancer outcomes after diagnosis, and prostate cancer prevention research. [12][13][14][15][16][17]
  • The sources discuss low-fat diet mainly in relation to cancer prevention research, especially prostate cancer and gastrointestinal cancers. [70][21][22][71][23]
  • The sources describe low-fat diets mainly in relation to weight control, cardiovascular risk, and cancer prevention research. [72][24][25]
  • The cancer-related evidence in the sources is mostly about primary prevention rather than treatment during active cancer care or survivorship. [24][25][26][72][73][74]
  • One review states that a few studies found high-fat diet was associated with more actinic keratoses than low-fat diet. [75]
  • The sources describe low-fat diets mainly in relation to cancer risk research, especially breast cancer and colorectal cancer. [27][28][29][30][76]
  • In the sources, a low-fat diet is defined as 10 kcal% fat in two mouse studies and as 4.3% fat in one recovery regimen. [56][77][78]
  • One source notes the need to maintain a low-fat diet in chylothorax management, and another describes a stepwise protocol that included total parenteral nutrition, no-fat or low-fat diet, and pleurodesis as needed. [38][37]
  • The sources describe low-fat diets in breast cancer prevention research, during endocrine therapy, and in a pre-surgical feasibility study in endometrial cancer. [79][80][81]
  • One source also describes a low-fat diet as a comparator in a mouse triple-negative breast cancer study. [82]
What studies report94 points
  • In a network meta-analysis of men with prostate cancer, a low-fat diet was reported as the most effective intervention for reducing body weight immediately after the intervention or at follow-up, while no intervention significantly reduced BMI. [83]
  • In systematic reviews of cancer survivors, low-fat diet was included among dietary patterns studied for mortality and recurrence outcomes, but pooled estimates specific to low-fat diet were not reported. [84]
  • The cancer-survivor review states that evidence for post-diagnostic diet and cancer survival remained limited. [85]
  • A 2011 meta-analysis stated that a low-fat diet rich in fruit, vegetables, and fiber seemed weakly associated with a better breast cancer prognosis, while two intervention trials of reduced fat intake showed no effect on survival. [8]
  • A 2009 meta-analysis reported that most studies found exercise, weight reduction, low-fat diet, and reduced alcohol intake were associated with a decreased risk of breast cancer. [9]
  • A 2002 review of complementary and alternative cancer therapies described dietary fat reduction in well-nourished patients with breast or prostate cancer as a therapy that may be reasonably accepted. [11]
  • In a meta-analysis of dietary fat intervention studies, reducing dietary fat was associated with lower serum estradiol levels in premenopausal women, postmenopausal women, and the combined group, and the possibility that reducing fat intake below 20% of calories could reduce breast cancer risk could not be excluded. [18]
  • In the PLCO head and neck cancer analysis, higher adherence to a low-fat dietary pattern was associated with lower head and neck cancer incidence in the study population. [1]
  • In the PREDIMED trial, the control group received advice to reduce dietary fat, and the trial reported more breast cancer cases in that control group than in the Mediterranean diet groups. [20]
  • In a randomized trial in skin cancer patients, switching to a low-fat diet was associated with fewer new actinic keratoses and fewer new non-melanoma skin cancers during follow-up. [19]
  • In a prostate cancer cohort, higher fat quality index scores were associated with lower risk of advanced prostate cancer and lethal prostate cancer, while low-fat diet scores were not associated with those outcomes. [34]
  • In the pancreatic mouse study, high-fat diet was associated with accelerated pancreatic intraepithelial neoplasia formation, enhanced inflammation and desmoplasia, and reduced survival compared with controls. [35]
  • In the pancreatic mouse study, ketogenic diet was reported to have context-dependent effects, with delayed progression in obese mice but accelerated tumor growth in nonobese mice. [36][35]
  • In healthy beagles, the low-fat diet with plant extract reduced serum TNF-alpha, IL-1beta, IL-6, DAO, and LPS compared with the conventional diet and the low-fat diet alone. [86]
  • The same mouse cachexia study reported greater skeletal muscle wasting in the high-fat diet groups than in the low-fat diet group, with obesity plus high-fat diet producing the most wasting, and high-fat diet and obesity each increased tumor cell proliferation and inflammation in the LLC cachexia model. [39]
  • In a murine mammary tumorigenesis review, adult high-fat diet by itself was associated with a shift toward M2 macrophage polarization and elevated Areg and Egf RNAs, while low-fat diet was the comparison condition for the benzophenone-3 experiments. [87]
  • In a postoperative chyle leak case after breast surgery, a low-fat diet was used as part of conservative management, but the drain output remained high until operative ligation of leaking lymphatics was performed. [88]
  • In a case report of lymphoma-associated chylothorax, a low-fat diet was used as part of conservative management, but the patient still had high drain output until additional interventions were used, and the low-fat diet was associated with undetectable itraconazole levels because the patient’s diet affected drug absorption. [38]
  • In a retrospective cohort of minimally invasive lung cancer surgery, patients with chylothorax were managed with nothing by mouth, total parenteral nutrition, then a strict no-fat diet followed by a gradual progression to a low-fat diet if drainage decreased, and persistent chyle leakage could still require pleurodesis or thoracic duct ligation despite dietary restriction. [37]
  • In a randomized study summarized in the endocrine-therapy review, a 12% fat diet was associated with lower BMI and waist circumference than control after 6 months in postmenopausal women taking tamoxifen. [80]
  • In another randomized study summarized in the endocrine-therapy review, a personalized Mediterranean-style diet with physical activity guidance was associated with lower body weight, BMI, body fat mass, and waist circumference, and with higher physical activity levels, compared with general lifestyle advice. [80]
  • In the Nurses’ Health Study II analysis, a low-fat diet metabolomic score derived from controlled feeding studies was associated with breast cancer risk in predominantly premenopausal women, and postmenopausal women who achieve sustained weight loss had a reduced breast cancer risk while the effects of weight loss in premenopausal women were not conclusive. [79]
  • In obesity-resistant BALB/c nude mice with colorectal cancer xenografts, a high-fat diet inhibited tumor growth compared with a low-fat diet. [40]
  • Switching from a high-fat diet to a low-fat control diet mitigated intestinal barrier damage and metabolic endotoxemia in a pancreatic carcinogenesis mouse model. [41]
  • In a breast cancer surgery case series, low-fat diet was one of the dietary interventions used to manage postoperative chyle leak, and no negative effects on wound healing and no delays in adjuvant treatment were observed during conservative management that included a low-fat diet. [42][57]
  • In pediatric acute lymphoblastic leukemia patients with severe asparaginase-associated hypertriglyceridemia, low-fat diet was part of the reported management. [43]
  • In a preclinical breast cancer model, mice on an intermittent calorie restriction diet had lower tumor growth than mice on a control/low-fat diet, and tumor size in the intermittent calorie restriction group matched that of young, lean controls; the intermittent calorie restriction group also had the highest antitumor immunity. [46]
  • In a randomized trial in females with lipedema, both the low-carbohydrate diet group and the low-fat diet group had significant reductions in body weight, fat mass, and fat-free mass over 9 weeks, and the low-carbohydrate diet group had a greater reduction in fat mass than the low-fat diet group. [89]
  • In that lipedema trial, the low-carbohydrate diet group had reductions in hsCRP, MIP-1β, and TNF-α, but there were no differences between groups. [89]
  • In a retrospective cohort of minimally invasive lung cancer surgery, patients with chylothorax were managed with a protocol that included a low-fat diet after initial NPO and TPN, and the authors reported longer chest tube duration and hospital stay in the chylothorax group than in the no-chylothorax group. [37]
  • In the gynecologic surgery case report, a low-fat diet was used as part of conservative management for chylous ascites, but the leakage did not resolve until fasting and total parenteral nutrition were started. [48]
  • In the lung cancer surgery series, the authors reported a significantly decreased risk of late-onset chylothorax in the group with improved Hem-o-lok clipping after lymphadenectomy compared with controls. [44]
  • In a case-control study of Iranian adults, a higher high-protein, low-carbohydrate, and low-fat diet score was associated with lower odds of breast cancer in the fully adjusted model. [52]
  • In a 2024 review of axillary chyle leak after breast cancer surgery, conservative management commonly included a low-fat diet, and the reported cases resolved without surgical re-exploration; in the same review, low-fat diet was part of conservative management for postoperative chyle leak after breast reconstruction, but the article does not isolate the effect of diet alone from the other measures used. [50]
  • In a case series of chylothorax, a low-fat diet was used with other conservative measures and chest drain output decreased or resolved in the reported patients. [51]
  • In a study of people with overweight or obesity and NAFLD, a 12-week low-fat diet intervention was associated with reductions in body weight, BMI, waist measures, ALT, AST, triglycerides, TNF-α, IL-6, and FGF-21, while changes in chemerin and irisin were not significant. [49]
  • In the Women’s Health Initiative randomized trial, a low-fat dietary pattern with increased fruit, vegetable, and grain consumption did not prevent the primary outcomes of breast or colorectal cancer, but it was associated with lower breast cancer mortality during long-term follow-up as a secondary outcome. [54]
  • A systematic review of long-term randomized diet intervention reports found that most low-fat diet reports in its dataset were secondary reports from large trials, especially the Women’s Health Initiative diet modification trial and the polyp prevention trial, and that low-fat diet reports showed mixed findings across primary and secondary reports. [53]
  • In a prospective cohort study of American adults aged 55 years and older, higher adherence to the low-fat diet score was studied for lung cancer incidence, but the provided source text does not include the final risk estimate in the excerpt. [3]
  • In a retrospective study of postoperative chylothorax after lung cancer surgery, some patients were managed with a low-fat diet; the pleural effusion triglyceride level after 2 days of low-fat diet was reported as a prognostic indicator. [45]
  • In a transgenic mouse model of endometrial cancer, switching from high-fat diet to low-fat diet reduced body weight by 27% compared with mice maintained on high-fat diet, reduced the ratio of gonadal fat weight to body weight, and was associated with lower tumor weight than high-fat diet, with a 38% decrease reported for the high-fat-to-low-fat switch group. [56]
  • In the obesity review, the authors state that numerous dietary patterns can lead to weight loss and that reducing energy density is a key strategy across dietary patterns, but the text provided does not give low-fat-diet-specific effect estimates. [55]
  • In a prospective PLCO analysis, higher low-fat diet score was associated with lower liver cancer incidence after multivariable adjustment, and the unadjusted analysis also found lower liver cancer risk in the highest low-fat diet quartile than in the lowest quartile. [4]
  • In a breast cancer surgery review, chyle leaks were managed conservatively with nutritional team support that included a low-fat diet, a high-protein diet, total parenteral nutrition, and medium chain triglyceride supplements. [57]
  • In a pancreatic cancer mouse model, low-fat diet was the comparator group and high-fat conditions were associated with greater tumor burden, more angiogenesis, and less apoptosis. [58]
  • In the same endometrial cancer model, low-fat diet was associated with decreased tumoral Ki67 and Bip expression compared with high-fat diet, lower serum insulin, leptin, and GLP1, lower serum glucagon and higher serum adiponectin, lower serum levels of several inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, tumoral gene-expression patterns that differed from high-fat diet and included improved inflammatory responses and enrichment of several metabolic and repair pathways, and smaller tumors when combined with paclitaxel than high-fat diet combined with paclitaxel. [56]
  • In the Women's Health Initiative follow-up summarized in a 2019 review, women randomized to a low-fat diet pattern had better overall survival than women in the usual-diet group, and the same review reported that higher dietary quality, measured by Healthy Eating Index score, was associated with lower cancer-specific mortality and lower overall mortality. [60]
  • In a mouse model of oral cancer, high-fat diet increased final tumor burden and histopathology score compared with low-fat diet. [61]
  • In a prostate cancer review, high-fat diet was reported to enhance MYC-driven metabolic and transcriptional changes in mouse models compared with control diet. [62]
  • In a prostate cancer review, high intake of dietary fat, especially animal and saturated fats, was described as possibly being associated with increased prostate cancer risk; the review also noted a low-fat diet may be beneficial for survivors. [65]
  • In postmenopausal breast cancer, one review states that obesity and higher fat intake were linked to higher estrogen levels and that limiting saturated fat was hypothesized to reduce hormone-related progression, but the review also reports inconsistent findings across studies. [64]
  • In a Greek cohort summarized in the breast cancer review, women who did not stick to the Mediterranean diet had visibly faster disease progression than women who complied with the diet recommendations. [64]
  • In the obesity-cancer review, obesity is described as being associated with reduced response to anticancer therapies and with increased risk of several cancer types. [63]
  • In the aflatoxin review, high fat intake was reported to enhance aflatoxicosis development compared with a low-fat diet. [66]
  • A prostate cancer review reports that in mice, very low-fat or low-carbohydrate diets significantly slowed tumor growth, and that no effects were seen with a traditional low-fat diet in a small clinical trial. [33]
  • In a prostate cancer xenograft study, mice on a low-fat diet served as a reference group, and the authors reported that low-carbohydrate groups had no significant differences in tumor volumes or overall survival compared with each other. [90]
  • A breast and gynecologic cancer review reports that one large randomized trial found increased disease-free survival after about 5 years with a low-fat diet in breast cancer, while another similar trial found no effect from a high vegetable/fruit, low-fat diet. [32]
  • In psoriasis, some studies summarized in a review reported clinical improvement with treatment of associated hyperlipidemia, and some studies reported that a low-fat diet improved psoriasis. [69]
  • A review of actinic keratosis reported that a few studies found a high-fat diet was associated with more actinic keratoses than a low-fat diet, and a review of nonmelanoma skin cancer chemoprevention states that among dietary factors, low-fat diet may protect against nonmelanoma skin cancer. [75][31]
  • A review of breast cancer outcomes reported that low-fat dietary interventions can influence body weight and decrease breast cancer recurrence in the Women's Intervention Nutrition Study, and the same review reported a differential effect of diet on hormone-receptor-positive and hormone-receptor-negative disease. [15]
  • A review of prostate cancer prevention listed dietary fat reduction among the prevention strategies under review, and another review lists low-fat diet among dietary interventions under study. [14][21]
  • A review of prostate cancer-related preclinical work reported that men placed on a low-fat diet and/or exercise program had lower serum insulin, free testosterone, estradiol, and IGF-1, and higher SHBG and IGFBP-1, and that these serum changes reduced growth and induced apoptosis in androgen-dependent prostate cancer cell lines in vitro. [17]
  • A review of breast cancer chemoprevention stated that a low-fat diet enriched with fruits and vegetables was among the lifestyle strategies recommended for reducing breast cancer risk. [13]
  • A gastrointestinal cancer review states that recent interventional trials do not support a role for low-fat diets in reducing the development of colon adenomas, although the evidence does not rule out efficacy at earlier stages of disease. [22]
  • A review of prostate cancer reports that prospective studies to date have failed to find a consistent association between prostate cancer and fat intake, and that some fat subtypes or other lifestyle changes such as obesity and physical activity may affect risk and progression, but more precise human studies are needed. [23]
  • Another prostate-cancer review described low-fat diet as one of several dietary interventions being studied for prostate cancer prevention. [21]
  • A review of prostate cancer and insulin resistance reports that men adopting a low-fat diet and daily exercise had lower serum insulin and IGF-1 and higher IGFBP-1 and SHBG, and cell-culture studies using post-diet-and-exercise serum showed apoptosis of LNCaP prostate cancer cells and reduced serum-stimulated cell growth. [71]
  • A review on male cancers stated that general health promotion guidance for avoiding most cancers can include a high-fiber and low-fat diet. [70]
  • A review on dietary fat reduction stated that some fat subtypes and other lifestyle changes may affect risk and progression of breast and prostate cancers, but that more precise human studies are needed, and that practical and simple dietary changes should be encouraged because they could improve overall longevity and quality of life in patients with breast or prostate cancer. [23]
  • A review on colorectal cancer prevention states that dietary fiber and calcium supplements, as part of an overall low-fat diet, may decrease colorectal cancer risk, and another review says available results provide some evidence for inhibition of adenoma growth through a high-fibre and/or low-fat diet. [24][29]
  • A breast cancer-related review says recent prospective studies suggest that dietary fat reduction may have little effect on breast cancer prevention. [25]
  • A review reported that a low-fat diet may be beneficial in helping maintain weight loss, and that low-fat diets are advocated to lower the risk of coronary heart disease and certain forms of cancer. [72]
  • A review reported that a low-fat, high-carbohydrate diet in athletes increased inflammatory and decreased antiinflammatory immune factors, depressed antioxidants, and negatively affected blood lipoprotein ratios, while increasing dietary fat intake to 42% in calorically balanced diets did not negatively affect immune competency or blood lipoproteins in athletes. [73]
  • One review reports that a low-fat diet paired with 25 g/day of soy protein was associated with clinically important reductions in total cholesterol and LDL cholesterol. [74]
  • A review reported that there is no evidence that higher fat intakes up to 42% of total calories in calorically balanced diets increase the risk of cancer. [73]
  • A review of intervention studies concluded that the evidence for low-fat diet was clearly inadequate to confirm or deny epidemiologic associations. [91]
  • A review on colorectal cancer stated that education about a high-fiber, low-fat diet and exercise was an important step in improving outcomes. [92]
  • A review of chronic liver disease listed a low-fat diet among preventive strategies that were described as prudent in patients with chronic liver disease. [93]
  • One review stated that dietary fat can have both specific and non-specific effects on carcinogenesis in experimental animals, and that the non-specific effects are mainly related to energy balance; the same review noted that a continuing positive energy balance can lead to obesity, which has been associated with increased risk of cancer at several sites. [94]
  • The association between total dietary fat and cancer is described as still under debate, and one review says there is some evidence of associations between dietary fat intake and cancers of the breast, prostate, and colon, but it also notes serious methodologic issues in separating fat intake from total energy intake. [27]
  • For breast cancer, the sources report inconsistent epidemiological findings for dietary fat intake and risk. [76][30]
  • A review of breast cancer intervention research reported mixed results across studies of dietary fat and fiber changes and serum hormone concentrations. [16]
  • One review reports evidence from rat mammary cancer models that a higher dietary ratio of n-3 to n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids inhibits tumor growth, and it notes proposed clinical trials of n-3 PUFAs with reduced fat intake for breast cancer prevention. [76]
  • One review reports that a high-fibre and/or low-fat diet provided some evidence for inhibition of adenoma growth in colorectal cancer-related intervention studies. [29]
  • One review reports rat data in which a maternal high-fat diet altered mammary gland differentiation, accelerated sexual maturation, and increased breast cancer risk in offspring compared with a low-fat diet in utero. [30]
  • One review states that the possible association between a high-fat diet and increased breast cancer risk remains controversial because migrant, case-control, and animal studies generally support the association while cohort studies often do not. [30]
  • In a mouse study of cancer cachexia, lean mice fed a low-fat diet with LLC tumors continued to gain weight through day 23, and lean mice fed a low-fat diet with LLC tumors did not meet the study definition of cachectic because they lost only 3.4% of initial body weight. [39]
  • In the same endocrine-therapy review, the diet group had higher HDL and lower oxidative-stress marker MDA than control, while glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, and LDL were higher in control, and the diet group had higher global health-quality of life, role functioning, and emotional functioning scores, and lower anxiety and depression scores, than at baseline. [80]
  • In a retrospective study of postoperative chylothorax after lung cancer surgery, a low-fat diet management strategy was used and most patients improved within 2 weeks; triglyceride level after 2 days of low-fat diet and drainage volume were associated with prognosis, and triglyceride level had a slightly higher ROC area than drainage volume. [45]
  • In a colorectal cancer mouse model, low-fat diet was used as the lean comparator to high-fat diet, and the study reported that high-fat diet increased intestinal tumorigenesis relative to low-fat diet. [77]
  • In an endometrial cancer mouse model, low-fat diet was the comparator group for a high-fat diet intervention used to study obesity-related gene expression. [5]
  • In a multiethnic case-control study of breast cancer, high total fat intake was associated with higher breast cancer risk compared with low intake, and the same study reported higher risk with oleic acid intake, but not with linoleic acid or saturated fat. [12]
  • The same study reported higher breast cancer risk among women who cooked with hydrogenated fats or vegetable/corn oil compared with women who used olive/canola oil. [12]
  • A review on DDT exposure says a low-fat diet could be beneficial in reducing the risk of developing cancer and possibly the effects of DDT, but it frames this as a question and a possibility rather than a demonstrated result. [26]
Proposed mechanisms111 points
  • One meta-analysis found no significant differences between low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets for interleukin-6, C-reactive protein, tumor necrosis factor-alpha, adiponectin, leptin, or resistin in adults. [95]
  • A 2025 meta-analysis reported that a Mediterranean diet supplemented with olive oil improved several inflammatory and endothelial markers compared with a low-fat diet in adults, with small effect sizes for tumor necrosis factor-alpha and VCAM-1. [96]
  • The 1999 meta-analysis linked fat reduction with lower serum estradiol levels, which the authors discussed in relation to breast cancer prevention. [18]
  • The PLCO head and neck cancer review states that a low-fat dietary pattern may influence metabolism, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance. [1]
  • The skin-cancer review states that high dietary fat affected UV-carcinogenesis at the promotional stage and that switching from high-fat to low-fat immediately after UV initiation negated the exacerbating effect in animal studies. [19]
  • The pancreatic mouse study reported that diet-related effects were associated with activation of PI3K-Akt-mTOR and EGFR signaling and with a systemic proinflammatory, proangiogenic cytokine milieu. [35]
  • The FEAST protocol states that the trial will assess inflammatory and metabolic blood biomarkers to explore potential mechanisms of symptomatic change. [97]
  • The beagle study reported changes in antioxidant markers, inflammatory cytokines, and gut-related markers alongside the low-fat diet intervention. [86]
  • The cachexia review proposes that high-fat diet and obesity may worsen cachexia through increased tumor cell proliferation, increased inflammation, and reduced muscle mass. [39]
  • The murine mammary tumorigenesis review states that dietary fat and benzophenone-3 have immunomodulatory consequences that may interact in mammary tumorigenesis. [87]
  • The histoplasmosis/chylothorax review states that low-fat intake can affect itraconazole absorption because itraconazole absorption is enhanced by food and the drug is lipophilic. [38]
  • The lung-surgery cohort states that dietary restriction is used to reduce lymphatic flow in chylothorax management. [37]
  • The Nurses’ Health Study II paper links low-fat and other hypocaloric dietary interventions to changes in metabolites that may reflect insulin sensitivity, weight reduction, and lipid profiles. [79]
  • The same paper frames these metabolic changes as potentially relevant to breast cancer risk, but it does not establish a mechanism in the excerpted text. [79]
  • In the endocrine-therapy review, the authors state that dietary factors such as saturated fats and nutrient-poor diets are discussed in relation to breast cancer risk and treatment outcomes, but the review excerpt does not isolate a low-fat-specific mechanism. [80]
  • The colorectal cancer review links high-fat diet effects to changes in bile acid, glutathione, and glycerophospholipid metabolism. [40]
  • The pancreatic carcinogenesis review links high-fat diet to intestinal permeability, metabolic endotoxemia, higher pancreatic TLR4 expression, and downstream inflammatory signaling. [41]
  • The colorectal cancer microbiota study suggests that diet composition can shape gut microbiota changes that may influence intestinal permeability or inflammation. [98]
  • The breast cancer surgery case series does not propose a mechanism for low-fat diet itself, but it describes chyle as a milky fluid rich in triglycerides, lymphocytes, and proteins. [42]
  • The preclinical breast cancer review states that immune dysfunction induced by obesogenic diets may be reversible. [46]
  • The tumor-immunology review states that low-fat diet was associated with reduced Treg development in tumor-infiltrating cells. [47]
  • The lipedema trial reports that changes in hsCRP, cytokines, and fibrosis-associated markers were not associated with changes in pain or ketosis at week 9. [89]
  • The lipedema trial also notes that the low-fat diet group had a reduction in hsCRP, which the authors suggest may reflect weight loss rather than a diet-specific effect. [89]
  • The NAFLD study states that dietary fat intake is a modifiable factor linked to inflammatory markers and that low-fat diets may reduce transaminase levels in NAFLD. [49]
  • The chylothorax review states that low-fat or fat-free intake is used to reduce chyle production and that fasting lowers chyle production compared with the fed state. [51]
  • The chylothorax review states that low-fat diet is used with medium-chain triglyceride supplementation or total parenteral nutrition as part of traditional initial medical management. [51]
  • The breast reconstruction chyle-leak review states that low-fat diet is part of conservative management, but it also notes that there is a lack of consensus on management. [50]
  • The study reports that endogenous oleate production significantly reduced the expression of the tested fibrosis-, cirrhosis-, and HCC-related gene markers in mice on an HCVLF diet. [99]
  • The same liver study states that SCD1 deficiency on a high-carbohydrate very low-fat diet increased hepatic lipid saturation and was associated with fibrosis and activation of markers related to fibrosis, cirrhosis, and HCC. [99]
  • The lung cancer cohort study describes the low-fat diet pattern as one that limits total fat intake and was operationalized with higher scores indicating greater adherence to lower fat and relatively higher carbohydrate and protein intake. [3]
  • In the lung cancer cohort study, higher low-fat diet scores were associated with higher intake of fruits, vegetables, dairy, potassium, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus, carbohydrate, and protein, and lower intake of lean meat, added sugars, cholesterol, sodium, fat, and energy. [3]
  • In the tirzepatide mouse study, the low-fat diet group was used as a comparison condition, but the paper’s mechanistic findings were about tirzepatide rather than the low-fat diet itself. [100]
  • In the early-life mouse study, low-fat diet exposure was one of the feeding conditions compared with high-fat diet exposure, but the reported microbiome and mammary microenvironment changes were attributed to high-fat diet exposure. [101]
  • In the endometrial cancer mouse model, the low-fat diet group had lower tumoral inflammatory signaling than the high-fat diet group, as reflected by lower inflammatory cytokine expression and altered pathway enrichment. [56]
  • The endometrial cancer study reports that the high-fat diet group had enriched tumoral expression in estrogen response, inflammatory response, adipogenesis, and cholesterol metabolism compared with the low-fat diet group. [56]
  • The obesity review states that reducing energy density is a practical mechanism used across dietary patterns for weight management. [55]
  • One liver cancer study proposed that low-fat diet may be related to lower inflammatory cytokine and mediator activity, including interleukins, tumor necrosis factor-α, Toll-like receptors, complements, and NF-kB. [4]
  • A review on cancer metabolism reported that blocking fatty acid oxidation decreased ATP production in various cancer cells and that a low-fat diet inhibited tumor growth in a mouse model compared with a control diet. [102]
  • A review on endometrial cancer reported that obesity and high-fat diet were associated with altered expression of angiogenic-related genes in tumor specimens and in a mouse model. [5]
  • A pancreatic cancer review reported that high-fat conditions increased proliferation and migration in pancreatic cancer cell lines and increased angiogenesis in tumors compared with low-fat conditions. [58]
  • In the prostate cancer review, high-fat diet was linked to increased levels of metabolites involved in glycolysis, glutaminolysis, nucleotide synthesis, amino acid metabolism, the urea cycle, lipid metabolism, and hexosamine biosynthesis in MYC-transformed prostates. [62]
  • The same review states that high-fat diet further enhanced MYC-driven H4K20 hypomethylation and increased PHF8 recruitment at MYC signature genes. [62]
  • The oral cancer mouse study reported greater lymphoid cell infiltration in 4-nitroquinoline-1-oxide-treated mouse tongues than in controls. [61]
  • The obesity-cancer review says overnutrition can increase circulating glucose and fat, which can feed metabolic reprogramming in cancer cells. [63]
  • The same review says obesity is associated with hyperglycemia, hypertriglyceridemia, insulin-like growth factor signaling, mTOR signaling, adipose inflammation, and altered sex hormone production, all of which are linked in the review to cancer hallmarks. [63]
  • The prostate cancer review says decreased dietary fat intake is associated with decreased androgen and testosterone levels, which may affect IGF-1 and androgen signaling. [65]
  • The breast cancer review says a proposed mechanism for Mediterranean-diet associations is a high content of antioxidants in plant foods, which was hypothesized to inhibit growth-factor activity, cell-cycle regulation, angiogenesis, and local inflammatory responses. [64]
  • The aflatoxin review says dietary fat may influence aflatoxicosis development, and that the type of fat also plays a significant role. [66]
  • The prostate cancer review suggested that tumor biology changes seen with low-fat or low-glycemic index diets may be related to weight loss. [33]
  • The prostate cancer xenograft study reported lower serum glucose and increased urinary ketone production in all low-carbohydrate groups compared with before randomization. [90]
  • The same xenograft study reported lower insulin in the 20% carbohydrate group and no significant differences in IGFBP-3 among groups, while IGF-I and the IGF-I:IGFBP-3 ratio were not statistically different. [90]
  • One review proposed that changes in insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 may be involved in the relationship between low-fat dietary intervention and breast cancer tumorigenesis. [15]
  • A review of dietary fat and fiber intervention research stated that changes in serum hormone concentrations have been used as biomarkers for reduction in breast cancer risk. [16]
  • The preclinical review reported that low-fat diet and exercise reduced IGF-1 and increased IGFBP-1, which were linked to increased p53 and p21 and reduced tumor cell growth with induced apoptosis in androgen-dependent prostate cancer cell lines. [17]
  • One review proposed that insulin resistance and compensatory hyperinsulinaemia may be underlying factors linking diet and exercise to hormone-related cancers such as prostate cancer. [71]
  • The same review stated that hyperinsulinaemia suppresses SHBG and IGFBP-1 and IGFBP-2 while stimulating IGF-1 production. [71]
  • That review also reported that a low-fat diet combined with daily exercise was associated with lower serum insulin and IGF-1 and higher IGFBP-1 and SHBG. [71]
  • The same review linked these biomarker changes to apoptosis and reduced serum-stimulated growth in LNCaP prostate cancer cells in cell-culture studies. [71]
  • One review states that dietary fat above energy requirements is stored in adipose tissue because fat intake does not measurably stimulate fat oxidation. [72]
  • One review states that high-fat or energy-dense diets have a weak satiating effect and promote passive overconsumption of energy relative to need. [72]
  • A review states that DDT and DDE are lipid-soluble pesticides that accumulate in fatty tissues and are more present in fat-containing foods than in fruit, vegetables, and grain. [26]
  • A review states that a reduction in calories can decrease oestrogen levels and possibly reduce the risk of breast cancer. [26]
  • A review states that soy phytoestrogens, curcumin, and indole-3-carbinol have laboratory-described interactions with oestrogen-related pathways and DDT-related effects. [26]
  • One review states that the non-specific effects of dietary fat on carcinogenesis appear to be related primarily to effects on energy balance. [94]
  • The same review states that a continuing state of positive energy balance can lead to obesity, and obesity has been associated with increased cancer risk at several sites. [94]
  • One review says the breast-cancer literature may be inconsistent partly because of interactions between fatty acids and antioxidant vitamins at the cell membrane. [76]
  • One review reports that a high-fat maternal diet in rats was associated with higher pregnancy estradiol levels, and it suggests this may mediate effects on mammary gland development and carcinogenesis. [30]
  • One review notes that dietary fat reduction may be part of an overall strategy to balance energy intake with energy needs because people reporting 30% or less of energy from fat had lower energy intakes. [27]
  • One meta-analysis compared low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets on inflammatory markers and adipokines, but it did not find significant differences between the diets for the biomarkers studied. [95]
  • The breast cancer meta-analysis states that lowering dietary fat can lower serum estradiol levels. [18]
  • The head and neck cancer review states that a low-fat dietary pattern may act through metabolism, oxidative stress, and insulin resistance. [1]
  • The skin cancer review states that high dietary fat affected skin cancer development at the promotional stage after the ultraviolet-initiating dose had been delivered. [19]
  • The FEAST protocol states that the trial will assess inflammatory and metabolic blood biomarkers to explore potential mechanisms of symptomatic change, and it describes anti-inflammatory diets as high in minimally processed foods and low in highly processed foods, refined carbohydrates, added sugar, and processed meats. [97]
  • The pancreatic mouse study reports that dietary composition influenced pancreatic tumor trajectory through activation of PI3K–Akt–mTOR and EGFR signaling pathways and a systemic proinflammatory, proangiogenic cytokine milieu. [35]
  • The pancreatic obesity model study reports that ketogenic diet suppression of pancreatic cancer was associated with enrichment of pancreatic metabolic pathways supporting non-glucose energy production. [36]
  • The cachexia review states that dietary manipulation can modulate metabolism in cancer cachexia, including through metabolically active lipids or replenishment of limiting amino acids. [39]
  • The chylothorax review states that low-fat intake is used to reduce chyle flow in conservative management, and one review states that low-fat intake may reduce chyle production by lowering intestinal lymph flow. [38][37][51]
  • One case report states that itraconazole absorption is enhanced by food and that a low-fat diet can interfere with itraconazole absorption. [38]
  • The breast-cancer risk study links low-fat and other hypocaloric diets to changes in insulin sensitivity, weight reduction, and lipid profiles as possible pathways relevant to breast cancer risk. [79]
  • The endocrine-therapy review states that dietary factors may relate to oxidative stress and chronic inflammation in breast cancer outcomes. [80]
  • The colorectal cancer metabolomics review links the diet comparison to changes in bile acid, glutathione, and glycerophospholipid metabolism. [40]
  • The pancreatic carcinogenesis review links high-fat diet exposure to intestinal permeability, metabolic endotoxemia, higher colonic TLR4 signaling, and disruption of tight junction structure and function, with low-fat diet switch reversing these changes. [41]
  • The colorectal cancer microbiota study suggests that diet-driven gut microbiota changes may influence CRC development through intestinal permeability or inflammation. [98]
  • The breast cancer imaging review states that obesity and diabetes are associated with hyperinsulinemia, hyperglycemia, dyslipidemia, adiposity, and inflammation, which are discussed as factors linked to cancer risk and immune changes. [103]
  • One review states that low-fat diet was associated with reduced Treg development in tumor-infiltrating cells, and that tumor-infiltrating Treg cells rely on fatty-acid metabolism and CD36 expression. [47]
  • In a preclinical breast cancer review, intermittent calorie restriction was reported to be associated with the highest antitumor immunity and lower tumor growth across age groups. [46]
  • In a lipedema trial, the low-fat diet was used as a low-energy comparator with 20% of energy from fat and 60% from carbohydrate. [89]
  • The breast reconstruction chyle-leak review describes low-fat diet as part of a conservative approach rather than as a stand-alone intervention with a defined mechanism in cancer patients. [50]
  • In the liver-disease study, the authors linked the high-carbohydrate very low-fat diet context to increased hepatic lipid saturation and activation of fibrosis-, cirrhosis-, and HCC-related genes in SCD1-deficient mice. [99]
  • The systematic review states that low-fat diets have been promoted for heart and metabolic improvement, which may affect diabetes and cancer risk. [53]
  • In the lung cancer cohort study, participants with higher low-fat diet scores had higher intakes of fruits, vegetables, and dairy and lower intakes of lean meat, added sugars, energy, cholesterol, sodium, and fat. [3]
  • In the chylothorax study, the low-fat diet management strategy restricted fat intake to 5 g/day and prohibited foods or drinks containing fat. [45]
  • In the endometrial cancer mouse study, low-fat diet feeding was used as a comparison condition, and the authors reported changes in tumoral transcriptional profiles involving inflammatory response, estrogen response, cholesterol homeostasis, and pathways related to DNA repair and metabolism. [100][56]
  • In the colorectal cancer mouse study, the authors reported that low-fat diet was associated with lower intestinal inflammation and lower procarcinogenic Wnt-signaling than high-fat diet. [77]
  • In the malignant pleural effusion review, fatty-acid metabolism was described as a mechanism in tumor-associated macrophage immunosuppression, but the excerpt does not link this mechanism specifically to low-fat diet. [78]
  • The liver cancer cohort paper states that low-fat diet may reduce inflammatory cytokines and mediators and NF-kB activity, which the authors describe as being related to cancer risk. [4]
  • The pancreatic cancer review proposes that cancer cells depend on fatty acids for ATP production through fatty acid oxidation rather than glycolysis. [102]
  • The inflammation-focused review states that reducing dietary fat components such as palmitic acid and arachidonic acid is one way the authors describe modulating NF-kB-related inflammatory signaling. [104]
  • The prostate cancer review says the mechanism for low-fat or low-carbohydrate dietary effects may involve weight loss, and it also links dietary interventions to changes in tumor gene expression. [33]
  • The prostate cancer xenograft study reports that low-carbohydrate diets lowered serum glucose and increased urinary ketone production compared with levels before randomization, and that the 20% carbohydrate group had lower insulin with trends for higher IGF-I and IGF-I:IGFBP-3 ratio. [90]
  • One review proposed that changes in insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 may be involved in the breast cancer findings from the Women's Intervention Nutrition Study. [15]
  • A breast cancer intervention review said dietary intervention research relies on changes in hormone concentrations as biomarkers for reduction in breast cancer risk. [16]
  • A prostate cancer preclinical review proposed that hyperinsulinemia, insulin-like growth factor signaling, and related hormone changes may connect low-fat diet and exercise with prostate cancer biology. [17]
  • One review proposes that low-fat diet combined with regular exercise may influence prostate cancer risk through changes in insulin resistance and related hormones, and that hyperinsulinaemia may suppress SHBG and IGFBP-1 and -2 while stimulating IGF-1 production. [71]
  • One review states that dietary fat above energy requirements is stored in adipose tissue and that high-fat or energy-dense diets have a weak satiating effect and promote passive overconsumption of energy. [72]
  • The DDT review says DDT and DDE are lipid-soluble pesticides that accumulate in fatty tissues and are more present in fat-containing foods than in fruit, vegetables, and grain. [26]
  • The same review says a reduction in calories can decrease estrogen levels and possibly reduce the risk of breast cancer. [26]
  • The soy review says soy isoflavones are biologically active compounds with estrogenlike agonist and antagonist effects that depend on target tissue, receptor status, and endogenous estrogen levels. [74]
  • One review proposes that dietary fat and antioxidant vitamins may interact at the cell membrane and influence mammary carcinogenesis. [76]
  • One animal study review reports that a high-fat maternal diet increased serum estradiol during pregnancy and was associated with altered mammary gland differentiation in offspring, compared with a low-fat diet in utero. [30]
  • One review states that an increased ratio of n-3 to n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids inhibited growth in a rat mammary cancer model and that n-3 PUFAs inhibited growth of human breast cancer cells in vitro and in explants. [76]
Practical considerations78 points
  • In the prostate cancer network meta-analysis, the low-fat diet was evaluated in randomized trials of nutrition or exercise/nutrition interventions during or after treatment. [83]
  • The 2015 prostate-cancer review included a trial of a calorie-reduced diet with less than 30% of energy from fat and nutritional teaching. [6]
  • The 2002 review used dietary fat reduction in well-nourished patients with breast or prostate cancer as an example of a complementary and alternative medicine approach that may be reasonably recommended. [11]
  • The PLCO review describes the low-fat dietary pattern as one with reduced fat intake and a greater proportion of energy from carbohydrates and protein. [1]
  • The NHANES review found that self-reported low-fat diet status often did not match estimated adherence based on 24-hour recalls. [2]
  • In the FEAST protocol, the standard care low-fat dietary programme was based on Australian Dietary Guidelines and included three consultations over 12 weeks, emphasizing foods from the five food groups while limiting saturated fat, added salt, added sugars, and alcohol. [97]
  • In the endocrine-therapy review, the low-fat diet intervention was described as 12% fat, 68% carbohydrates, and 20% protein, with written instructions over 6 months. [80]
  • In the Nurses’ Health Study II paper, the low-fat diet intervention in the feeding study was isoenergetic and isonitrogenous, meals were prepared in a metabolic kitchen, and participants received 75% of estimated energy requirements. [79]
  • In the mouse study, the low-fat diet contained 5% fat from soybean. [82]
  • In the lipedema trial, the low-fat diet was matched to the low-carbohydrate diet for energy and protein but contained 20 E% fat and 60 E% carbohydrate; participants were advised to take a multivitamin/mineral supplement, to drink at least 2 L of energy-free drinks daily, and had weekly follow-up visits to measure body weight, assess ketosis, and discuss potential side effects. [89]
  • In the NAFLD study, the low-fat diet was prescribed for 12 weeks with a 25% energy reduction and macronutrient targets of 55% to 60% carbohydrate, 25% lipids, less than 10% saturated fat, and 10% to 15% protein. [49]
  • In the chylothorax review, conservative management commonly included low-fat diet, drainage, pressure dressing, and/or octreotide, and surgery was reserved for persistent or high-output leaks. [50]
  • In the chylothorax case series, low-fat diet was started after diagnosis and combined with octreotide and midodrine in some patients. [51]
  • In the chylothorax study, patients on the low-fat diet were supervised by nutritionists, instructed to avoid foods or drinks containing fat, and told to continue the diet for 1 to 2 weeks after discharge if they improved. [45]
  • In the breast cancer surgery case series, patients were given a normal diet once alert and conscious, and low-fat diet was used after chyle leak was identified. [42]
  • In the breast-surgery chyle leak case, the low-fat diet was combined with limited physical activity and antibiotics as conservative management. [88]
  • In the gynecologic surgery case report, the low-fat diet was used together with weekly ascites punctures and lymphangiography as conservative management. [48]
  • In the lung cancer surgery series, low-fat diet was used together with thoracocentesis and intravenous nutrition for late-onset chylothorax. [44]
  • In the lung-surgery cohort, the low-fat diet was introduced only after initial NPO and TPN and after a reduction in drainage was observed. [37]
  • In the histoplasmosis/chylothorax case, the low-fat diet interfered with itraconazole absorption and the patient was discharged on voriconazole instead of itraconazole. [38]
  • In the asparaginase case series, low-fat diet was used alongside hydration and lipid-lowering or other supportive medications, and asparaginase continued after triglycerides fell below 1000 mg/dL. [43]
  • The pancreatic carcinogenesis review describes a dietary switch from high-fat to low-fat control diet as a nutritional intervention that reduced fat consumption in mice. [41]
  • The WHI low-fat dietary pattern was implemented as a diet with increased fruit, vegetable, and grain consumption. [54]
  • The breast cancer prevention rapid review describes diet interventions as lifestyle-related primary prevention strategies studied in adult women without diagnosed breast cancer. [59]
  • The prostate cancer review said that small clinical trials suggest tumor biology can be altered by a vegan low-fat diet with supplements and lifestyle changes or by eliminating simple carbohydrates with weight loss, and that larger and longer-term studies are needed to determine the clinical relevance of these findings. [33]
  • The breast and gynecologic cancer review said the effects of dietary weight loss and increased physical activity on survival or recurrence are not yet established. [32]
  • One review described low-fat diet recommendations as part of a broader healthy lifestyle that also included less alcohol, more fruits and vegetables, exercise, and weight reduction if obese. [13]
  • One review described low-fat diet as a dietary intervention under study for prostate cancer prevention. [21]
  • A review on male cancers stated that general health promotion guidance can include a high-fiber and low-fat diet. [70]
  • A review on dietary fat reduction stated that practical and simple dietary changes should be encouraged because they could improve overall longevity and quality of life in patients with breast or prostate cancer. [23]
  • One review says long-term compliance with an overall low-fat diet regimen may be necessary to affect a beneficial outcome for colorectal cancer risk, and that the message for cancer prevention in the general population may be to keep a balanced healthy diet with a variety from all food groups as part of a healthy lifestyle that includes moderate exercise. [24]
  • One review says clinicians should be careful not to suggest a prostate-cancer-prevention benefit from dietary fat reduction until more research provides a better picture, while also noting that any healthy lifestyle or dietary change should be encouraged because it may reduce cardiovascular disease risk and affect all-cause mortality. [25]
  • A colorectal cancer review described education about a high-fiber, low-fat diet and exercise as part of prevention-oriented care. [92]
  • A chronic liver disease review listed a low-fat diet among preventive strategies that are prudent in patients with chronic liver disease. [93]
  • One review states that fat-modified foods contribute more to the diets of people reporting low-fat intakes than to the diets of people consuming higher levels of fat. [27]
  • One review says that reported total fat and saturated fat intakes as a percentage of total energy had been declining over the previous 30 years in the United States. [27]
  • One review says that recommendations for a fibre-rich diet were made in part because such diets were said to do no harm and because fibre was known to be protective against other conditions. [28]
  • The 2002 review framed dietary fat reduction as a complementary approach that may be reasonably accepted in well-nourished patients with breast or prostate cancer. [11]
  • The 2006 review stated that general measures of breast cancer prevention could include a low-fat diet, optimization of body mass index, physical exercise, avoidance of alcohol, and long-term hormone replacement therapy avoidance. [10]
  • The 2009 meta-analysis stated that several lifestyle changes with the potential to prevent breast cancer should be recommended regardless of risk, including low-fat diet. [9]
  • The low-fat diet intervention in the skin cancer trial targeted about 20% of total calories from fat. [19]
  • In the PREDIMED trial, the low-fat comparator was advice to reduce dietary fat rather than a prescribed Mediterranean diet. [20]
  • The NHANES study found that self-reported low-fat diet adherence often did not match adherence estimated from up to 2 24-hour recalls, and the systematic review says adherence findings were discussed when provided in long-term diet trials. [2][53]
  • In the FEAST protocol, the standard care low-fat dietary programme consisted of three consultations over 12 weeks plus one follow-up consultation at week 6, with participants encouraged to sustain the programme to 6 months. [97]
  • The FEAST protocol states that the low-fat programme was based on the Australian Dietary Guidelines and included advice to limit foods containing saturated fat, added salt, added sugars, and alcohol. [97]
  • In the beagle feeding study, the low-fat diet group had lower average daily gain than the conventional diet group, and the low-fat diet with plant extract group had lower average daily gain than the conventional diet group as well. [86]
  • In the beagle study, the low-fat diet groups had lower serum triglycerides, total cholesterol, LDL-C, and blood urea nitrogen than the conventional diet group. [86]
  • The lung-surgery cohort used a stepwise protocol in which patients with chylothorax first received NPO and TPN, then a strict no-fat diet, and then a low-fat diet if drainage improved. [37]
  • The same cohort reported pleurodesis for persistent chyle leak at or below 500 mL/day and thoracic duct ligation for cases refractory to repeated conservative treatment. [37]
  • The endocrine-therapy review describes a 12% fat diet with 68% carbohydrates and 20% protein in one study, and another intervention as a personalized daily dietary plan based on the Mediterranean diet and physical activity guidelines. [80]
  • In the mouse triple-negative breast cancer study, the low-fat diet was reported as 5% fat from soybean. [82]
  • In the RSV mouse study, the low-fat diet was reported as 3% low-fat diet provided by a commercial supplier. [105]
  • In the breast cancer surgery case series, patients were given a normal diet once they were alert and conscious after surgery, dietary consultation was provided to all patients with chyle leak, and low-fat diet and medium-chain triglyceride diet were the dietary interventions used for chyle leak, with most cases resolving within 3 to 11 days. [42]
  • In the asparaginase case series, management of severe hypertriglyceridemia included hydration, low-fat diet, omega-3 supplements, fenofibrates, statins, levocarnitine, and sometimes an insulin drip, and asparaginase treatment continued after triglyceride levels fell below 1000 mg/dL. [43]
  • In the lipedema trial, the low-fat diet was prescribed at 1200 kcal/day with 60 g protein, 180 g carbohydrate, and 27 g fat, and the dietary plans were adjusted for food preferences, intolerances, and allergies, with participants advised to take a multivitamin/mineral supplement and drink at least 2 L of energy-free drinks daily. [89]
  • Weekly follow-up was used in the lipedema trial to monitor body weight, ketosis, side effects, and food records. [89]
  • In the postoperative chylothorax case series, low-fat diet was combined with thoracocentesis and intravenous nutrition as first-line management. [44]
  • In the breast reconstruction chyle-leak cases, low-fat diet was started after chyle leak was recognized and was paired with nutrition counseling. [50]
  • In the chylothorax case series, the conservative regimen also included fat-free diet, octreotide, and sometimes parenteral nutrition. [51]
  • The chylothorax review states that low-fat diet is one of the traditional initial medical measures, but it also notes that this approach alone has shown success in less than 50% of patients in the cited literature. [51]
  • In the chylothorax study, the low-fat diet management strategy was supervised by hospital nutritionists, and patients were discharged with instructions to continue the low-fat diet for 1 to 2 weeks after chest tube removal when the resolution criteria were met. [45]
  • The chylothorax study used pleural fluid triglyceride thresholds to guide management decisions, including a threshold below 0.56 mmol/L as a low probability of chylous fluid and a threshold above 1.24 mmol/L for diagnosis. [45]
  • One mouse study defined a low-fat diet as 10 kcal% fat. [56][77][78]
  • In the breast cancer surgery report, low-fat diet was part of a conservative nutritional approach that also included high-protein diet, total parenteral nutrition, and medium chain triglyceride supplements. [57]
  • The liver cancer cohort study defined a low-fat diet score from carbohydrate, protein, and fat intake strata, with higher scores indicating closer adherence to the low-fat pattern, and participants in the highest low-fat diet quartile had lower total fat intake and lower energy intake than those in the lowest quartile. [4]
  • The prostate cancer review notes that studies of dietary fat often focused on total fat, saturated fat, animal fat, and n-3 fatty acids, showing that the term low-fat diet is not used uniformly across the literature. [65]
  • The breast cancer review describes Mediterranean-diet scoring systems that assign points for higher intake of plant foods, fish, seafood, and unsaturated fats and lower intake of meat. [64]
  • The prostate cancer review says that very low-fat vegan diets in small trials were paired with supplements and lifestyle changes. [33]
  • The prostate cancer xenograft study used low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets with specific macronutrient compositions in mice, including a low-fat reference diet of 12% fat, 72% carbohydrate, and 16% protein kcal. [90]
  • The breast cancer chemoprevention review described a low-fat diet enriched with fruits and vegetables as part of a healthy lifestyle approach for risk reduction. [13]
  • The breast cancer intervention review noted that dietary intervention research spans the life course and considers ethnic group differences in energy expenditure. [16]
  • One review advises that practical and simple dietary changes should be encouraged because they could improve overall longevity and quality of life in patients with breast or prostate cancer. [23]
  • One review says long-term compliance with an overall low-fat diet regimen may be necessary to produce a beneficial outcome in colorectal cancer prevention. [24]
  • A review notes that healthy lifestyle or dietary change should be discussed in the context of cardiovascular benefits and overall potential impact on all-cause mortality in people initiating or undergoing conventional treatment. [25]
  • One review states that low-fat diets are preferred for limiting excessive weight gain and may help maintain weight loss. [72]
  • One review notes that reported total fat and saturated fatty acid intakes as a percentage of total energy had been declining over the previous 30 years in the United States. [27]
  • One review states that people reporting diets with 30% or less of energy from fat consistently had lower energy intakes. [27]
  • One review says fat-modified foods played a more important role in the diets of people reporting low-fat intakes than in the diets of people consuming higher levels of fat and saturated fat. [27]
Safety & interactions46 points
  • In the FEAST protocol, participants taking insulin, SGLT2 inhibitors, or sulfonylureas were excluded because of concern for hypoglycemia or ketoacidosis risk during dietary change, and people with food allergy or hypersensitivity that would make the anti-inflammatory diet medically contraindicated were also excluded. [97]
  • A low-fat diet may reduce absorption of itraconazole in patients who need antifungal therapy. [38]
  • In postoperative chyle leak and chylothorax reports, low-fat diets were used in settings where ongoing fluid loss and nutritional compromise were concerns. [88][37][38]
  • The endocrine-therapy review notes that patients may use diet and other complementary approaches alongside conventional cancer care, and that uncoordinated use of parallel therapies can create interaction risks in general. [81]
  • In the asparaginase case series, severe hypertriglyceridemia was described as a treatment-related issue, and low-fat diet was one of several management measures used. [43]
  • In the breast cancer surgery case series, low-fat diet was used for chyle leak, but one patient still required surgical exploration and plication after persistent leakage. [42]
  • The gynecologic surgery review states that long-term leakage of chylous ascites can cause malnutrition, dehydration, and immunosuppression. [48]
  • The gynecologic surgery case report states that the patient was resistant to a low-fat diet. [48]
  • The lipedema trial excluded participants with malignant disease, infectious disease, diabetes, kidney disease or failure, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and several other conditions. [89]
  • The chylothorax review notes that some patients may need aggressive nutritional support because ongoing losses can lead to protein loss, electrolyte imbalance, hypovolemia, and immunosuppression. [51]
  • The breast reconstruction review states that axillary chyle leak is rare and that no definitive guidelines exist for management in tissue expander or implant reconstruction cases. [50]
  • In the chylothorax study, no patient died and no chylothorax recurrence was reported after reoperation during 6 months of follow-up. [45]
  • In the tirzepatide mouse study, tirzepatide was reported to reduce body weight without noticeable adverse effects, but this finding was about tirzepatide rather than the low-fat diet. [100]
  • In the breast cancer surgery review, low-fat diet was reported as part of conservative management without negative effects on wound healing or delays in adjuvant treatment. [57]
  • The thoracic duct chylous fistula review states that low-fat diet is used in conservative management after neck surgery, but it does not standardize when it should be used or how it should be combined with other measures. [106]
  • The prostate cancer review states that chronic pharmacological inhibition of MAGL can cause partial desensitization of CB1 receptors and loss of cannabinoid-mediated effects, but this is not a low-fat diet finding. [107]
  • The aflatoxin review indicates that low protein intake worsened symptoms related to hepatocellular carcinoma due to aflatoxin exposure, while high protein favored detoxification in one study. [66]
  • The prostate cancer review stated that low-carbohydrate diets are safe in humans. [90]
  • The nonmelanoma skin cancer review stated that patients on oral retinoids need careful monitoring of dose and side effects. [31]
  • One review states that there is no evidence showing that the small physiologic reduction of plasma HDL cholesterol with a low-fat diet is detrimental. [72]
  • One review states that no adverse effects of short- or long-term use of soy proteins are known in humans. [74]
  • One review states that in athletes, a low-fat high-carbohydrate diet negatively affected blood lipoprotein ratios and immune factors. [73]
  • One review states that complementary medicine should probably be discussed with any patient who is initiating or undergoing conventional treatment because of cardiovascular benefits and overall potential impact on all-cause mortality. [25]
  • One review states that low-fat diet advice was given to patients with cardiovascular disease or type II diabetes, but it also reports a study in women in which this type of diet increased plasma triglycerides and the severity of type II diabetes and coronary heart disease. [108]
  • This creates a contradiction in the sources about whether low-fat diet is uniformly favorable in metabolic disease settings. [93][108]
    ⚠ Contradicting evidence: Some sources describe favorable or neutral metabolic effects, while another reports increased plasma triglycerides and worse severity of type II diabetes and coronary heart disease. (the more authoritative source is [93]).
  • One review states that a low-fat diet is not a no-fat diet and that dietary fat has essential functions. [27]
  • One review warns that very low-fat intakes below 15% of energy may be associated with maternal energy deficiency and low birth weight. [27]
  • One review says that reducing dietary fat can affect the nutrient density of children's diets and that this issue needs more attention. [27]
  • One review says that high-carbohydrate low-fat diets can induce dyslipidemia in certain individuals. [27]
  • The FEAST protocol excluded participants taking insulin, SGLT2 inhibitors, or sulfonylureas because of concern about hypoglycaemia or ketoacidosis risk, and it also excluded people with food allergy or hypersensitivity, medically contraindicated inability to follow the diet, a history of eating disorder, or bariatric surgery. [97]
  • In the beagle study, no significant differences were observed in hematological indices among the diet groups. [86]
  • In the beagle study, serum inflammatory markers TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, DAO, and LPS were lower in the plant-extract low-fat group than in the conventional diet and low-fat diet groups. [86]
  • The case report describes undetectable itraconazole levels in a patient on a low-fat diet, indicating a potential interaction with oral itraconazole absorption. [38]
  • The sources describe conservative management of chylothorax as including dietary modification, and report declines in albumin and total lymphocyte counts with chyle leakage. [38][37]
  • The lung-surgery cohort reported that patients with chylothorax had longer hospital stays and chest tube duration than patients without chylothorax. [37]
  • In the breast cancer surgery case series, one patient with persistent chyle leak required surgical exploration and plication after dietary modification did not fully resolve the leak. [42]
  • The lipedema trial excluded participants with malignant disease, infectious disease, diabetes, kidney disease or failure, pregnancy, breastfeeding, and several other conditions, and potential side effects of the diets were discussed at weekly follow-ups. [89]
  • The postoperative chylous ascites case report noted malnutrition, dehydration, and immunosuppression as risks of long-term leakage, not as effects of the low-fat diet itself. [48]
  • The chylothorax review notes that more aggressive nutritional support may be needed to counter ongoing protein losses, electrolyte imbalances, hypovolemia, and immunosuppression in high-output cases. [51]
  • The chylous fistula review describes thoracic duct chylous fistula as a rare postoperative complication that can increase the risk of infection, bleeding, hypovolemia, electrolyte imbalance, and malnutrition. [106]
  • In the breast cancer surgery case series, conservative management that included a low-fat diet was not associated with negative wound-healing effects or delays in adjuvant treatment. [57]
  • One review states that there is no evidence that the small physiologic reduction of HDL cholesterol with a low-fat diet is detrimental. [72]
  • A review on athletes reports that a low-fat high-carbohydrate diet increased inflammatory and decreased antiinflammatory immune factors, depressed antioxidants, and negatively affected blood lipoprotein ratios. [73]
  • The same athlete review says increasing dietary fat intake to 42% of total calories in calorically balanced diets did not negatively affect immune competency or blood lipoproteins. [73]
  • One review states that a low-fat diet is not a no-fat diet and that dietary fat serves essential functions. [27]
  • One review says that reducing dietary fat may lower nutrient density in children's diets and that more attention is needed to this issue. [27]
What we don't know yet98 points
  • A review of cancer survivors reported limited evidence overall; for breast cancer survivors, limited evidence suggested low-fat, high-quality, and prudent diets may be beneficial, but evidence for other survivor groups was too limited or unavailable. [85][84]
  • A NAFLD review indicated that low-fat diet was studied alongside several other dietary strategies, but the excerpt does not establish whether low-fat diet alone changes liver outcomes in NAFLD. [109]
  • A 2015 prostate-cancer systematic review was designed to assess randomized trials of dietary, nutritional, and physical activity interventions on progression and mortality, but the excerpt provided here does not show a definitive low-fat-diet result. [6]
  • A 2011 breast-cancer meta-analysis noted that the intervention trials were negative and that the intervention target was not met, leaving uncertainty about whether the observed associations reflect the diet itself or trial implementation. [8]
  • A 2014 breast-cancer meta-analysis concluded that more trials of the relationship between low-fat diet and all-cause mortality are still needed. [7]
  • A 1999 meta-analysis said that prospective analytic studies could not exclude a reduction in breast cancer risk when fat intake is lowered below 20% of calories. [18]
  • The PLCO review stated that only one case-control study had examined low-fat dietary pattern scores for head and neck cancer risk and that no prospective cohort studies had specifically investigated the association at the time of the review. [1]
  • A skin-cancer review concluded that further research was needed to determine whether low-fat dietary modification has a role in non-melanoma skin cancer prevention and management. [19]
  • The FEAST protocol stated that no fully powered randomized controlled trial had yet evaluated an anti-inflammatory diet in knee osteoarthritis at the time of publication. [97]
  • Pancreatic mouse studies indicate that the effect of dietary fat content on pancreatic cancer depends on context, including obesity status and diet type. [35][36]
  • A prostate cancer cohort found that fat quality and low-fat diet score were not the same exposure, because the inverse association with advanced prostate cancer was seen for fat quality index but not for low-fat diet score. [34]
  • A beagle study was conducted in healthy dogs, so its findings do not directly address cancer outcomes. [86]
  • A cachexia review said the effects of obesity and high-fat diet on tumor growth and cachexia are not readily clear because prior studies have been conflicting. [39]
  • A lung-surgery cohort stated that there are no guidelines regarding the timing of chemical or surgical pleurodesis or percutaneous thoracic duct embolization or disruption. [37][38]
  • The Nurses’ Health Study II paper said the effects of weight loss on breast cancer risk in premenopausal women have not been conclusive. [79]
  • The same paper stated that several prior studies had identified metabolites affected by ketogenic and low-fat interventions, but that prospective human cohort evaluation of these changes and breast cancer risk had not been done before this study. [79]
  • An endocrine-therapy review said that more research is needed on nutrition interventions to optimize outcomes during treatment and survivorship. [80]
  • A colorectal cancer review said contradictory results exist between obesity, high-fat diet, and colorectal cancer, and further research is needed. [40]
  • A microbiota-transplant study suggested that the effect of diet on colorectal cancer may depend on the type of diet and the gut microbiota it shapes. [98]
  • A breast cancer surgery case series described chyle leak after breast surgery as rare and poorly understood. [42]
  • A gynecologic surgery review stated that no standard treatment for chylous ascites has been established and that the timing of surgical intervention is difficult to determine. [48]
  • A lung cancer surgery series described late-onset chylothorax as rare and said it may usually be managed by non-surgical methods. [44]
  • A lipedema trial reported that there were no between-group differences in hsCRP, cytokines, or fibrosis-associated markers despite within-group changes. [89]
  • A preclinical breast cancer review presented the findings as encouraging preclinical evidence rather than clinical evidence in people. [46]
  • A breast reconstruction review stated that there is a lack of consensus on management of axillary chyle leak. [50]
  • A chylothorax review stated that the optimal dose of midodrine is not yet known, and the same uncertainty is implied for conservative dietary management in refractory cases. [51]
  • A NAFLD study stated that literature on low-fat diet effects on inflammatory parameters in NAFLD is scarce and that no study had evaluated chemerin in that setting at the time of the report. [49]
  • A liver fibrosis study stated that the effect of SCD1 deficiency on advanced liver pathology was not fully established before the study. [99]
  • A systematic review stated that there is no consensus on whether one diet is better than another for weight loss or cancer risk reduction and control. [53]
  • The same systematic review said dietary adherence reporting was inconsistent across studies, which made comparisons between dietary approaches difficult. [53]
  • A WHI review said a potential role of a low-fat dietary pattern in reducing breast cancer mortality warrants further study. [54]
  • An endometrial cancer study was done in mice, so its findings do not establish the same effects in people with cancer. [56]
  • The provided sources do not establish whether low-fat diet has a role during cancer treatment or survivorship in humans. [56][55]
  • The provided sources do not give a low-fat-diet-specific consensus on cancer outcomes across cancer types. [56][55]
  • A liver cancer study stated that there are large knowledge gaps about the association between low-fat diet and liver cancer risk. [4]
  • An endometrial cancer review described its findings as exploratory and said further evaluation in independent cohorts and mechanistic studies is needed. [5]
  • A breast cancer surgery review said chyle leak after axillary node clearance is rare and lacks consensus management guidelines. [57]
  • A breast cancer survivorship review said conclusive data to translate dietary findings into clinical practice is lacking and that multidisciplinary prospective research is needed. [60]
  • A breast cancer prevention rapid review indicated that the evidence base for diet interventions was small, with only two diet studies among six included studies. [59]
  • A thoracic duct chylous fistula review stated that management is not standardized and that there is no unanimous agreement on timing and operative steps when surgery is considered. [106]
  • A prostate cancer review said the evidence on dietary fat and prostate cancer has been mixed across study types, and more evidence is needed to understand the mechanisms. [65]
  • A breast cancer review said some studies found no particular relationship between Mediterranean-diet components and breast cancer risk or progression, while other studies reported slower progression or lower incidence. [64]
  • An aflatoxin review said the influence of dietary fat on aflatoxicosis is conflicting and that the type of fat matters. [66]
  • The sources do not establish whether low-fat diet changes improve survival or recurrence in breast and gynecologic cancers. [32]
  • The sources do not establish the clinical relevance of the prostate cancer tumor-biology findings from small trials. [33]
  • A nonmelanoma skin cancer review said there is limited data on the efficacy of several field therapies for chemoprevention of nonmelanoma skin cancer. [31]
  • The sources describe the evidence on dietary fat and breast cancer as mixed. [15]
  • A review of intervention research said results have been successful in some studies and sobering in others. [16]
  • A prostate cancer prevention review said definitive answers from phase 3 trials were expected in the coming 2 to 7 years from the time of publication. [14]
  • The sources repeatedly note that more precise human studies or prospective studies are needed to clarify the relation between low-fat diet and cancer risk or progression. [71][23][21][22]
  • A gastrointestinal cancer review said the evidence does not rule out an effect of low-fat diets at earlier stages of disease. [22]
  • A prostate-cancer review said that specific recommendations tailored to the individual patient were likely to develop as prospective trials and molecular genetic correlations are completed. [21]
  • A dietary fat reduction review stated that large gaps remain in environmental and heritable causes of breast and prostate cancers. [23]
  • An intervention-study review said more studies are needed because the existing evidence for low-fat diet was inadequate. [91]
  • The sources describe inadequate or limited evidence on low-fat diet and cancer outcomes in some prevention-related contexts, along with non-cancer uses and animal data; they do not establish a general conclusion across prevention, treatment, and survivorship settings in humans. [91][75][92][94][108][93]
  • The sources repeatedly say that more research is needed on low-fat diets and cancer outcomes. [28][76][29][27][30]
  • The sources identify unresolved questions about whether observed associations are independent of total energy intake and about interactions with other nutrients. [27][76]
  • The sources also note that evidence differs by study type, with observational studies, intervention studies, and animal studies not always pointing in the same direction. [28][76][30]
  • Evidence for low-fat diet after cancer diagnosis is limited and heterogeneous, and one review notes that no meta-analysis was feasible for the cancer-survivor literature it examined. [84]
  • Future trials should examine nutrient quality, adherence, and metabolic status when comparing low-fat and low-carbohydrate diets. [95]
  • The 2015 prostate cancer systematic review assessed randomized trials of dietary and nutritional interventions on prostate cancer progression and mortality, but the provided text does not establish a clear low-fat diet effect. [6]
  • The 2014 breast cancer meta-analysis concluded that more trials are still needed for all-cause mortality outcomes. [7]
  • The 2011 meta-analysis noted methodological difficulties in this area of research and said the intervention trials were negative. [8]
  • Whether reducing fat below 20% of calories lowers breast cancer risk remains uncertain. [18]
  • Before one head and neck cancer analysis, no prospective cohort studies had specifically investigated low-fat dietary pattern score and head and neck cancer risk, and only one case-control study had examined it and found no significant relationship. [1]
  • These mouse studies report differing effects of fat-rich diets on pancreatic tumor development depending on model and context. [36][35]
  • A prostate cancer cohort found no significant association between low-fat diet scores and advanced or lethal prostate cancer. [34]
  • The cachexia review says the effects of obesity and high-fat diet on tumor growth and cachexia are not readily clear because prior studies have shown conflicting results. [39]
  • The breast-cancer risk study says the effects of weight loss on premenopausal breast cancer risk have not been conclusive. [79]
  • The breast-cancer risk study evaluated metabolomic scores from controlled feeding studies in an observational cohort, leaving the relationship between the feeding-trial signatures and real-world dietary states as an analysis question. [79]
  • Only three included studies in the endocrine-therapy review combined diet with physical activity, and only outcome parameters analyzed in two or more studies were discussed. [80]
  • The colorectal cancer review says the relationship between high-fat intake, obesity, and colorectal cancer is complex and that contradictory results exist. [40]
  • The breast cancer imaging review presents low-fat diet as one of the experimental diets used to study obesity- and diabetes-related changes in breast cancer models, rather than as a clinical intervention outcome. [103]
  • Chyle leak after breast cancer surgery is rare and poorly understood. [42]
  • The sources do not establish whether low-fat diet changes cancer outcomes in humans outside specific postoperative chylous complications and one non-cancer lipedema trial. [46][47][44][48][89]
  • The sources do not show a between-group effect of low-fat diet on hsCRP in the lipedema trial. [89]
  • The sources do not show whether the low-fat diet alone resolved postoperative chylous ascites or late-onset chylothorax in all reported cases. [48][44]
  • There is a lack of consensus on management of breast reconstruction chyle leak, and no definitive guidelines exist for tissue expander or implant management in these cases. [50]
  • The chylothorax review says the optimal dose of midodrine is not yet known, and the low-fat diet literature it cites does not establish a single standard regimen. [51]
  • The breast cancer case-control study is observational, so it reports an association rather than a causal effect of the diet score on breast cancer odds. [52]
  • The review says most randomized controlled trials were short term, mostly evaluated breast cancer survivors, and that more long-term RCTs are needed. [53]
  • The WHI review says the possible role of a low-fat dietary pattern in reducing breast cancer mortality warrants further study. [54]
  • The liver cancer cohort authors state that there are still large knowledge gaps about the association between low-fat diet and liver cancer risk. [4]
  • The endometrial cancer review describes its findings as exploratory and says further evaluation in independent cohorts and mechanistic studies is needed. [5]
  • The pancreatic cancer review concludes that its findings support further investigation of molecular pathways in metabolic syndrome conditions. [58]
  • The breast cancer survivorship review states that evidence is not conclusive enough to guide clinical practice and that further prospective research is needed. [60]
  • The breast cancer prevention rapid review included only six studies overall, with two diet studies, showing that the evidence base was small in the reviewed literature. [59]
  • The chylous fistula review states that management is not standardized and that there is no unanimous agreement on timing and operative steps when surgery is considered. [106]
  • The sources repeatedly note that evidence is mixed or inconclusive for several dietary fat and cancer associations, and that more research is needed to clarify mechanisms and clinical relevance. [65][64][66][33][23][25]
  • The breast and gynecologic cancer review says randomized controlled trials are needed for definitive data on diet and prognosis. [32]
  • The prostate cancer review stated that definitive answers from phase 3 prevention trials were still pending at the time of publication, and more prospective studies are needed to test whether low-fat diet changes prostate cancer risk. [14][71]
  • The sources also identify uncertainty about whether low-fat diet has effects at earlier stages of gastrointestinal disease. [22]
  • The colorectal cancer review says the potential of phytochemicals as chemoprevention agents must be demonstrated in clinical trials and that dose and timing of some protocols remain to be determined. [24]
  • The soy review says randomized, placebo-controlled clinical trials are necessary to address the possible effects of soy isoflavones. [74]
  • The sources repeatedly describe the relationship between low-fat diets and cancer risk as uncertain and in need of more research. [27][28][76][30]
  • One review says better nutritional surveys, improved food-composition tables, and adequately powered epidemiological studies are needed to clarify fibre-related breast cancer findings. [28]
  • One review says prospective trials of dietary fat reduction were then under evaluation for breast cancer prevention. [76]
  • One review says the results of colorectal fibre trials were still pending and further results were expected within a year. [29]

Sources

Every statement above is drawn from these reviewed sources. This page reports what they describe. Sources last checked June 9, 2026.

  1. Randomized trialAdherence to a low-fat dietary pattern reduces head and neck cancer risk: evidence from the PLCO trial · 2024
  2. Clinical trialAre People Consuming the Diets They Say They Are? Self-Reported vs Estimated Adherence to Low-Carbohydrate and Low-Fat Diets: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2007-2018 · 2025
  3. Review articleAdherence to the low-fat diet pattern reduces the risk of lung cancer in American adults aged 55 years and above: a prospective cohort study · 2024
  4. Review articleAssociation between low-fat diet and liver cancer risk in 98,455 participants: Results from a prospective study · 2022
  5. Review articleObesity and altered angiogenic-related gene expression in endometrial cancer · 2021
  6. Systematic reviewA systematic review of dietary, nutritional, and physical activity interventions for the prevention of prostate cancer progression and mortality · 2015
  7. Meta-analysisEffect of low-fat diet on breast cancer survival: a meta-analysis · 2014
  8. Meta-analysisThe effect of overweight and nutrition on prognosis in breast cancer · 2011
  9. Meta-analysisPrevention of breast cancer in postmenopausal women: approaches to estimating and reducing risk · 2009
  10. Meta-analysisHow valid is single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) diagnosis for the individual risk assessment of breast cancer? · 2006
  11. Meta-analysisAdvising patients who seek complementary and alternative medical therapies for cancer · 2002
  12. Review articleDietary fat, cooking fat, and breast cancer risk in a multiethnic population · 2008
  13. Review articleChemoprevention of breast cancer · 2008
  14. Review articleProstate cancer prevention: past, present, and future · 2007
  15. Review articleDietary fat reduction and breast cancer outcome: results from the Women's Intervention Nutrition Study (WINS) · 2007
  16. Review articleChanges in dietary fat and fiber and serum hormone concentrations: nutritional strategies for breast cancer prevention over the life course · 2007
  17. Review articlePreclinical models relevant to diet, exercise, and cancer risk · 2005
  18. Meta-analysisMeta-analysis: dietary fat intake, serum estrogen levels, and the risk of breast cancer · 1999
  19. Randomized trialInfluence of dietary factors on actinically-induced skin cancer · 1998
  20. Randomized trialMediterranean Diet and Invasive Breast Cancer Risk Among Women at High Cardiovascular Risk in the PREDIMED Trial: A Randomized Clinical Trial · 2015
  21. Review articleChemoprevention of prostate cancer. Focus on key opportunities and clinical trials · 2003
  22. Review articleNutrition and diet in the development of gastrointestinal cancer · 2003
  23. Review articleDietary fat reduction to reduce prostate cancer risk: controlled enthusiasm, learning a lesson from breast or other cancers, and the big picture · 2002
  24. Review articlePrimary prevention: phytoprevention and chemoprevention of colorectal cancer · 2002
  25. Review articleFat reduction to prevent prostate cancer: waiting for more evidence? · 2001
  26. Review articleRisk reduction for DDT toxicity and carcinogenesis through dietary modification · 2001
  27. Review articleDietary fat consumption and health · 1998
  28. Review articleFibre and breast cancer · 1998
  29. Review articlePrimary prevention of colorectal cancer through fibre supplementation · 1998
  30. Review articleTiming of dietary fat exposure and mammary tumorigenesis: role of estrogen receptor and protein kinase C activity · 1998
  31. Review articleChemoprevention of nonmelanoma skin cancer · 2013
  32. Review articleWeight, physical activity, diet, and prognosis in breast and gynecologic cancers · 2010
  33. Review articleDietary intervention strategies to modulate prostate cancer risk and prognosis · 2009
  34. Review articleFat quality, not quantity, linked to reduced risk of advanced and lethal prostate cancer in US populations: a large prospective multicenter study · 2026
  35. Review articleDietary Fat Content Influences PanIN Progression and Pancreatic Cancer Development in Mice · 2026
  36. Review articleKetogenic Diet Prevents Obesity-Associated Pancreatic Cancer Independent of Weight Loss and Induces Pancreatic Metabolic Reprogramming · 2026
  37. Review articleOutcomes of conservative management for chylothorax following minimally invasive lung cancer surgery · 2025
  38. Review articleLymphoma Induced Chylothorax Complicated by Disseminated Histoplasmosis and Esophagopericardial Fistula · 2025
  39. Review articleHigh-fat diet and obesity each increase tumor cell proliferation and muscle wasting in experimental cancer cachexia · 2026
  40. Review articleUntargeted metabolomics reveals the inhibition effect of a high-fat diet on colorectal cancer tumorigenesis in obesity-resistant mice via regulating bile acid, glutathione, and glycerophospholipid metabolisms · 2025
  41. Review articleA dietary switch from a high fat to a low fat diet mitigates obesity-induced intestinal barrier dysfunction in mice: implications for pancreatic carcinogenesis · 2025
  42. Review articlePostoperative Chylous Leakage in Breast Cancer Patients: A Multicentre Case Series · 2025
  43. Review articleSevere Hypertriglyceridemia Secondary to Long-acting Asparaginase in Pediatric Patients With Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia · 2025
  44. Review articleLate-onset chylothorax after lung cancer surgery: clinical characteristics, management, and prevention · 2025
  45. Review articlePrognostic significance of Pleural Fluid triglyceride levels based on a low-Fat Diet Management Strategy in patients with Chylothorax following pulmonary resection · 2024
  46. Review articleWeight Loss Is Protective in Preclinical Breast Cancer Models: Interactions with the Anticancer Immune Response · 2025
  47. Review articleFOXP3 Transcriptionally Activates Fatty Acid Scavenger Receptor CD36 in Tumour-Induced Treg Cells · 2025
  48. Review articleLong-term conservative treatment of chylous ascites in gynecological malignant surgery: a case report and literature review · 2025
  49. Review articleEffects of low fat diet on inflammatory parameters in individuals with obesity/overweight and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: A cross-sectional study · 2024
  50. Review articleChyle Leak Management in the Setting of Tissue Expander Breast Reconstruction with Acellular Dermal Matrix: Case Series and Literature Review · 2024
  51. Review articleUtility of an Alpha-1 Adrenergic Agonist in the Management of Chylothorax: A Case Series and Management Algorithm · 2024
  52. Review articleHigh-protein diet scores, macronutrient substitution, and breast cancer risk: insights from substitution analysis · 2024
  53. Review articleLong-Term Randomized Controlled Trials of Diet Intervention Reports and Their Impact on Cancer: A Systematic Review · 2024
  54. Review articleThe Women's Health Initiative Randomized Trials and Clinical Practice: A Review · 2024
  55. Review articleThe Effectiveness of Nutritional Strategies in the Treatment and Management of Obesity: A Systematic Review · 2023
  56. Review articleIntermittent energy restriction inhibits tumor growth and enhances paclitaxel response in a transgenic mouse model of endometrial cancer · 2024
  57. Review articleChyle Leak After Axillary Node Clearance in Breast Cancer Surgery-A Rare Complication and a Proposed Management Strategy from the British and Italian Experience · 2022
  58. Review articleHigh-Fat Diet Drives an Aggressive Pancreatic Cancer Phenotype · 2021
  59. Review articleCost-Effectiveness of Lifestyle-Related Interventions for the Primary Prevention of Breast Cancer: A Rapid Review · 2020
  60. Review articleThe Impact of Diet on Breast Cancer Outcomes · 2019
  61. Review articleDietary fat and male sex increase histopathological changes in a mouse model of oral cancer · 2021
  62. Review articleHigh-fat diet fuels prostate cancer progression by rewiring the metabolome and amplifying the MYC program · 2019
  63. Review articleTranslating Mechanism-Based Strategies to Break the Obesity-Cancer Link: A Narrative Review · 2018
  64. Review articleMediterranean diet for breast cancer prevention and treatment in postmenopausal women · 2015
  65. Review articleThe role of dietary fat throughout the prostate cancer trajectory · 2014
  66. Review articleEffect of dietary macronutrients on aflatoxicosis: a mini-review · 2017
  67. Review articleFood Antioxidants and Their Anti-Inflammatory Properties: A Potential Role in Cardiovascular Diseases and Cancer Prevention · 2016
  68. Review articleThe Mediterranean dietary pattern as the diet of choice for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease: Evidence and plausible mechanisms · 2017
  69. Review articleClinical improvement in psoriasis with treatment of associated hyperlipidemia · 2011
  70. Review articleCancers of the prostate, penis, and testicles: epidemiology, prevention, and treatment · 2004
  71. Review articleProstate cancer: another aspect of the insulin-resistance syndrome? · 2002
  72. Review articleLow-fat diets are preferred · 2002
  73. Review articleDietary fats and immune status in athletes: clinical implications · 2000
  74. Review articleSoy isoflavones: are they useful in menopause? · 2000
  75. Review articleActinic keratosis. Current treatment options · 2000
  76. Review articleBreast cancer and the western diet: role of fatty acids and antioxidant vitamins · 1998
  77. Review articleTumor necrosis factor-α knockout mitigates intestinal inflammation and tumorigenesis in obese Apc(1638N) mice · 2023
  78. Review articleC1q(+) tumor-associated macrophages contribute to immunosuppression through fatty acid metabolic reprogramming in malignant pleural effusion · 2023
  79. Review articleMetabolomic signatures of hypocaloric dietary interventions associate with breast cancer risk in the Nurses' Health Study II · 2025
  80. Review articleCurrent Evidence on the Impact of Diet, Food, and Supplement Intake on Breast Cancer Health Outcomes in Patients Undergoing Endocrine Therapy · 2025
  81. Review articleImpact of risk and lifestyle factors on therapy goals in the treatment of breast cancer and gynecological cancer patients with integrative medicine · 2025
  82. Review articleAn Olive Oil-Based High-Fat Diet Promotes Obesity-Driven Metastasis of Triple-Negative Breast Cancer · 2025
  83. Meta-analysisInterventions for Improving Body Composition in Men with Prostate Cancer: A Systematic Review and Network Meta-analysis · 2022
  84. Systematic reviewImpact of dietary patterns and the main food groups on mortality and recurrence in cancer survivors: a systematic review of current epidemiological literature · 2018
  85. Systematic reviewThe Facts about Food after Cancer Diagnosis: A Systematic Review of Prospective Cohort Studies · 2020
  86. Review articleEffects of a Low-Fat Diet Supplemented with Plant Extract on Lipid Metabolism, Antioxidant Capacity, Inflammation, and Gut Microbiota in Healthy Beagles · 2026
  87. Review articleDiet-dependent BP-3 modulation of immune function in murine mammary tumorigenesis · 2026
  88. Review articleIndocyanine green focused near-infrared fluorescence lymphography localization in treatment of chyle leak after mastectomy with targeted left axillary sentinel node biopsy for breast cancer · 2026
  89. Review articleChanges in Cytokines and Fibrotic Growth Factors after Low-Carbohydrate or Low-Fat Low-Energy Diets in Females with Lipedema · 2025
  90. Review articleLow-carbohydrate diets and prostate cancer: how low is "low enough"? · 2010
  91. Review articleIntervention studies on cancer · 1999
  92. Review articleColorectal cancer 2000. Education and screening are essential if outcomes are to improve · 2000
  93. Review articlePreventive care in chronic liver disease · 1999
  94. Review articleSpecific versus non-specific effects of dietary fat on carcinogenesis · 1999
  95. Meta-analysisComparable effects of low-carbohydrate and low-fat diets on inflammatory markers and adipokines: A systematic review and meta-analysis of randomized trials · 2026
  96. Meta-analysisEffect of the Mediterranean Diet Supplemented With Olive Oil Versus the Low-Fat Diet on Serum Inflammatory and Endothelial Indexes Among Adults: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Clinical Controlled Trials · 2025
  97. Clinical trialEffectiveness of an anti-inflammatory diet versus low-fat diet for knee osteoarthritis: the FEAST randomised controlled trial protocol · 2024
  98. Review articleThe Role of Diet and the Gut Microbiota in the Obesity-Colorectal Cancer Link · 2025
  99. Review articleHepatic stearoyl-CoA desaturase-1 deficiency induces fibrosis and hepatocellular carcinoma-related gene activation under a high carbohydrate low fat diet · 2024
  100. Review articleTirzepatide as an innovative treatment strategy in a pre-clinical model of obesity-driven endometrial cancer · 2024
  101. Review articleHigh-fat diet during early life reshapes the gut microbiome and is associated with the disrupted mammary microenvironment in later life in mice · 2024
  102. Review articleCancer depends on fatty acids for ATP production: A possible link between cancer and obesity · 2022
  103. Review articlePET Imaging of Diabetes-Induced Alterations in Metabolism and Immune Activation · 2025
  104. Review articleDietary Technologies to Optimize Healing from Injury-Induced Inflammation · 2021
  105. Review articleRSV infection disrupts gut microbiota and metabolic homeostasis in mice, regulating pulmonary inflammation via the SPHK/S1P pathway · 2025
  106. Review articleProlonged iatrogenic thoracic duct chylous fistula in neck surgery: conservative management or surgery? A literature review · 2021
  107. Review articleMonoacylglycerol lipase inhibitors: modulators for lipid metabolism in cancer malignancy, neurological and metabolic disorders · 2020
  108. Review articleHealth benefits of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) · 1999
  109. Systematic reviewDietary strategies in non-alcoholic fatty liver disease patients: From evidence to daily clinical practice, a systematic review · 2023

Recipes for the Low-fat diet

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