UH Cancer Center studies ways to reduce abdominal fat to lower cancer risk

Could specific changes in dietary habits, along with a regular physical activity plan affect the amount of fat stored in your abdomen and the rest of your body to reduce disease risk? Lead University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center researchers for The Healthy Diet and Lifestyle Study II, Loïc Le Marchand and Carol Boushey, are searching for participants to help answer this question.

The first Healthy Diet and Lifestyle Study developed an intermittent energy restriction diet and showed its potential for reducing intra-abdominal fat (visceral fat) and modifying the gut microbiome—the microorganisms that normally live in the large bowel—to be more healthy.

The second study is an expanded, 24-week, randomized trial to compare two different energy restrictive diets to reduce intra-abdominal and total body fat, and potentially reduce risks of certain chronic diseases related to being overweight or obese. This study aims to test the difference between two approaches to energy (calorie) restriction, assess participants’ adherence to the diets, and determine whether either diet helps to reduce the fat wrapped around the internal abdominal organs. It also looks at the effect of these diets on the gut microbiome.

“This study offers Oʻahu residents an opportunity to lose some weight and get in shape under the guidance of an experienced team of dietitians specially trained for the study,” said Boushey.

Findings from this study will provide researchers information on which diet is better at reducing intra-abdominal fat and total body fat and whether the gut microbiome plays a role. This information may provide an approach to reducing risk of chronic diseases related to excessive weight gain during adulthood.

For more information about the study, call (808) 237-3901 or email hdls2@cc.hawaii.edu.

Eligibility requirements

Men and women residents of Oʻahu, ages 35–69, who are overweight or obese, have not smoked in the past two years, and are of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander or European White ancestry may be eligible to participate in this study.

Participants will be randomly assigned to either energy restrictive or health-promoting diets and asked to follow their diet for 24 weeks under the supervision of a dietitian. Both groups will be asked to follow an exercise plan and use the study’s mobile phone app to take photos of their foods on specific days. Body measurements, including measurements of body fat, will be taken at three time points and six months after study completion by trained clinic staff.

About the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center

The University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center through its various activities, including scientific research and clinical trials, adds more than $57 million to the Oʻahu economy. It is one of only 71 research institutions designated by the National Cancer Institute. An organized research unit within the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, the UH Cancer Center is dedicated to eliminating cancer through research, education, patient care and community outreach with an emphasis on the unique ethnic, cultural and environmental characteristics of Hawaiʻi and the Pacific. Learn more at https://www.uhcancercenter.org. Like us on Facebook at https://www.facebook.com/UHCancerCenter. Follow us on Twitter @UHCancerCenter.