The Healthy Diet and Lifestyle Study II, led by the University of Hawaiʻi Cancer Center, is making strides toward understanding how simple lifestyle changes can impact cancer risk. While they have recruited more than 160 participants, more are needed to help determine how lifestyle adjustments can help prevent cancers.
Related UH News story: $5.3M for abdominal fat, cancer research in high-risk Hawaiʻi groups, November 2021
So far, more than 111 participants have successfully completed the six-month program. However, researchers are seeking additional volunteers, particularly men, and individuals aged 35–69, to join the study.
Led by UH Cancer Center researchers Loïc Le Marchand and Marie Kainoa Fialkowski Revilla, the study examines the impact of two calorie-restricted diets on reducing intra-abdominal organ fat and overall body fat in adults of Japanese, Chinese, Korean, Filipino, Native Hawaiian, Pacific Islander or White ancestry.
“Abdominal fat is known to increase the risk of chronic diseases such as diabetes, heart disease and certain cancers, including those of the colon, liver, pancreas and breast,” said Fialkowski Revilla. “In Hawaiʻi, some ethnic groups more prone to storing fat in the abdomen are also experiencing higher rates of these diseases.”
Study benefits
The study offers unique benefits, including 24 weeks of dietary counseling supervised by a nutritionist and detailed body composition analysis using dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DEXA) to assess fat distribution. Participants also use a mobile app to photograph their meals on designated days, enabling researchers to analyze their diet for calories, fats, sugars and other nutrients.
For more information or to enroll in the study, call (808) 237-3901 or email hdls2@cc.hawaii.edu.