A Dietary Intervention to Elicit Rapid and Complex Dietary Changes for Studies Investigating the Effects of Diet on Tissues Collected during Invasive Surgical Procedures

• Published in: Journal of the American Dietetic Association 2009-03, Vol.109 (3), p.459-463
• Main Authors: Schenk, Jeannette M., MS, RD, Neuhouser, Marian L., PhD, RD, Lin, Daniel W., MD, Kristal, Alan R., DrPH
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Aged; behavior change; Biological and medical sciences; Body Mass Index; Counseling; Diet; Diet, Fat-Restricted; diet-related diseases; eating habits; Feeding. Feeding behavior; Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology; Gastroenterology and Hepatology; Glycemic Index; Humans; Internal Medicine; Intervention; Male; men; Mens health; Mental Recall; Menu Planning; Middle Aged; nutritional intervention; Patient Compliance; patients; Pilot Projects; Prostate - pathology; Prostate cancer; prostatic neoplasms; Prostatic Neoplasms - diet therapy; Prostatic Neoplasms - pathology; Prostatic Neoplasms - surgery; Surgery; Time Factors; tissue analysis; Vertebrates: anatomy and physiology, studies on body, several organs or systems; Weight control; Weight Loss - physiology
• ISSN: 0002-8223; 2212-2672; 1878-3570; 2212-2680
• DOI: 10.1016/j.jada.2008.11.026

Abstract Nutrition intervention trials in patients undergoing surgical treatment for cancer offer a unique opportunity to study the mechanisms and pathways that underlie diet and cancer associations in target tissues. However, due to the short time period between diagnosis and treatment, traditional dietary intervention methods are not feasible. This report describes a novel dietary intervention program designed to elicit rapid and complex dietary change during a condensed study period. The intervention, based on Consumer Information Processing, used standardized menus and exchange lists to guide food choices, and was delivered using a single, in-person session followed by telephone-based counseling. This intervention program was used in a small pilot study evaluating the short-term effects of dietary change in men with newly diagnosed prostate cancer. Eight men were randomly assigned to either a low-fat/low-glycemic load or standard American diet during the 4 weeks preceding prostate surgery. Participants completed 24-hour dietary recalls each week, and were weighed at baseline and at surgery. Compared to men in the standard American arm (n=4), men in the low-fat/low-glycemic arm (n=4) reported consuming less total fat (51.0±36.0 vs 93.5±8.4 g/day, P =0.06), and had a lower glycemic load (134.8±6.0 vs 266.3±36.8 units/day, P