Health, Wellbeing & Nutrition by bodykind

Cancer prevention is a topic that I have written about previously in my blog posts.  There is evidence to suggest that eating a healthful diet and exercising regularly may help to reduce the risk of getting cancer.  A newly published study (1) has found that “Adherence to cancer prevention guidelines for obesity, diet, physical activity and alcohol consumption is associated with lower risk of death from cancer, CVD [cardiovascular disease] and all-causes in non-smokers”.  The authors of the study note that their results could have a very real impact on health, they say “Beyond tobacco avoidance, following other cancer prevention guidelines may substantially lower risk of premature mortality in older adults”.

A Healthy Diet and Weight Management can help in the fight against cancer (4)

The results are interesting because, as noted in the study, few previous research papers have evaluated the combined impact of following recommended lifestyle behaviours on cancer, CVD (cardiovascular disease/heart disease) and all-cause mortality, and most have included tobacco avoidance.  This new study was conducted in non-smoking individuals. 
 
The study(1) included over 100,000 non-smoking men and women who were part of the Cancer Prevention Study (CPS)-II Nutrition Cohort, they completed specialised diet and lifestyle questionnaires in 1992 and 1993.  Each person was given a score between 0 and 8 points which was calculated to show how strongly they adhered to the cancer prevention guidelines on body mass index, physical activity, diet and alcohol consumption.   8 points was the top score and represented optimal adherence.  The men and women were then followed for 14 years.  Over this time 10,369 men and 6,613 women died.   After analysing the results the researchers found that death from all causes was lower for men and women who had high scores (of 7 or 8 ) when compared to those with low scores (of 0, 1 or 2).  Death from cardiovascular disease and cancer was also higher in those individuals with low scores compared to those with high scores.  Specifically, after 14 years, men and women with high compliance scores (7, 8 ) had a 42% lower risk of death compared to those with low scores (0-2). Risk of cardiovascular disease death were 48% lower among men and 58% lower among women, while the risk of cancer death was 30% lower in men and 24% lower in women (1,2). 
 
The research only shows association between following cancer prevention guidelines and risk of death from various causes and further research would be needed before any firm conclusions could be drawn but the results are interesting and significant especially since they show that these guidelines are useful and go beyond tobacco avoidance.
 
Previously I have mentioned the World Cancer Research Fund a charity committed to cancer prevention. They have a variety of different cancer prevention recommendations which you can read about on their website.  Some of these recommendations include:

Exercise & being as lean as possible without being underweight are two of the WCRF recommendations for cancer prevention (5)

*Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight
*Be physically active for at least 30 minutes every day.
*Limit consumption of energy-dense foods (foods high in fats and/or added sugars and/or low in fibre) and avoid sugary drinks.
*Eat more of a variety of vegetables, fruits, wholegrains, and pulses such as beans.
*Limit consumption of red meats (such as beef, pork and lamb) and avoid processed meats.
*If consumed at all, limit alcoholic drinks to 2 for men and 1 for women a day.
*Limit consumption of salty foods and foods processed with salt (sodium).
 
These cancer prevention recommendations are based on an expert report (3) published in 2007, which looked at thousands of published research studies. A balanced diet based on unprocessed meats and fish, unrefined/unprocessed carbohydrates and rich in vegetables and fruits is a good starting point for anyone wanting to eat healthfully.
 
(1) McCullough ML et al.  2011.  Following cancer prevention guidelines reduces risk of cancer, cardiovascular disease and all-cause mortality. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev.  Apr 5. [Epub ahead of print]
(2)Press Release.  American Cancer Society (2011, May 3). Following cancer prevention guidelines lowers risk of death from cancer, heart disease, all causes. ScienceDaily. Retrieved May 4, 2011, from http://www.sciencedaily.com¬ /releases/2011/04/110414131654.htm
(3) WCRF/AICR. 2007. Food, nutrition, physical activity, and the prevention of cancer: a global perspective. Washington DC: AICR, 2007.
(4) Image courtesy of zirconicusso
(5) Image courtesy of Ambro

Written by Ani Richardson

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