The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) and the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) recently issued an evidence-based blueprint for healthy living that could prevent nearly half of all cancer cases.
This is the 3rd report in the series of expert reports Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and Cancer: A Global Perspective, and updates the two previous comprehensive reports, which were published in 1997 and 2007.
The report has distilled evidence of 30 years of research into 10 recommendations that could help prevent cancer by lifestyle modification. The report is based on a review of data from 51 million people, including 3.5 million cancer cases in 17 cancers.
The evidence shows that a modification in your diet, staying physically active, having a healthy body weight and other health-related choices can prevent 12 cancer diagnoses. These include breast, colorectal, pancreatic, endometrial, ovarian, prostate, liver, gallbladder, kidney, bladder, stomach and esophageal cancers.
In 2012, an estimated 14.1 million new cases of cancer occurred worldwide, with nearly 1 in 6 deaths due to cancer.
“The evidence is clear that making changes to diet and exercise and maintaining a healthy weight cuts cancer risks, regardless of age. The message may not be glamorous, but these changes can save your life,” said Kelly Browning, Chief Executive Officer of AICR.
The ten recommendations are:
1) Maintaining a healthy weight is the most important thing you can do to reduce your risk of cancer. Aim to be in the lower end healthy Body Mass Index (BMI) range.
2) Be physically active-incorporate physical activity as a part of your daily life. Walk more and sit less, for maximum health benefits, aim for 150 minutes of moderate, or 75 minutes of vigorous, physical activity a week.
3) Eat a diet rich in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and beans. AICR recommends a plant-based diet that forms at least two-thirds of your plate.
4) Limit the intake of fast food. There is strong evidence that consuming "fast-foods" and a "Western-type" diet are causes of weight gain, overweight and obesity, which are linked to 12 cancers. Glycemic load also increases the risk for endometrial cancer.
5) Limit red meat and avoiding processed meat - red meat includes beef, pork and lamb and processed meat includes ham, bacon, salami, hot dogs, sausages.
6) Limit consumption of sugar-sweetened beverages- Whenever you feel thirsty drink water or unsweetened beverages.
7) Limit alcohol consumption- alcohol in any form is a potent carcinogen. It's linked to 6 different cancers. The best advice for those concerned about cancer is not to drink.
8) Do not take the supplement for cancer prevention-Aim to obtain nutrition from diet instead of popping the supplements. The panel doesn’t discourage the use of multivitamins or specific supplements for those sub-sections of the population who stand to benefit from them, such as women of childbearing age and the elderly. But, dietary supplements will not avoid cancer.
9) Mothers, please breastfeed your baby- There is a strong evidence that breastfeeding your baby protects against breast cancer later in life.
10) If you are already diagnosed with cancer, you should follow the nutritional advice from an appropriately trained professional. For breast cancer survivors, there is persuasive evidence that nutritional factors and physical activity reliably predict important outcomes from breast cancer.
The report emphasizes the need for knowledge about the link between lifestyle and cancer. In a 2017 AICR Cancer Risk Awareness Survey more than 50% of the population who responded was not aware of the link between obesity and cancer.
The report provides robust evidence for healthcare professionals and government officials to advise the patients about healthy eating and making policies that make healthy eating more affordable.
AICR today launched Cancer Health Check – an easy-to-use tool, which shows how your lifestyle stacks up against known cancer risks and outlines the changes you can make to follow AICR’s evidence-based Cancer Prevention Recommendations.
Here is a video about AICR 10 recommendations for cancer prevention.
