Healthy lifestyle cuts cancer risk
Publication Date:02/11/2007
One in three cancers in the UK could be prevented if everyone followed a healthy diet, kept to a healthy weight and exercised regularly, a new report says.
What do we know already?
Health advice can sometimes seem confusing. News reports regularly announce that particular foods either cause or prevent cancer. It's easy to end up feeling lost, and not knowing what to believe.
News reports about cancer risks are often based on just one study, or on laboratory findings that haven't been tested in humans. Individual studies don't tell us much without being put in context.
Experts have now analysed the results of around 7,000 studies on cancer prevention. Their report offers the most complete advice yet on the lifestyle changes that could protect us from cancer.
We already know that smoking tobacco is the biggest single risk for lung cancer. So the researchers didn't look at smoking. But it's still the most important thing to avoid, if you want to cut your chances of getting cancer.
What does the new report say?
Here are the report's main recommendations.
- Keeping to a healthy weight is one of the most important things we can do to cut our risk of cancer. A body mass index (BMI) of between 18.5 and 25 usually indicates a healthy weight. But, even within this range, a higher BMI can mean an increased risk of cancer. So, we should aim to be as lean as possible without being underweight.
- We should do moderate physical activity for at least 30 minutes every day, and build up to longer or more vigorous workouts as we get fitter. Brisk walking counts as moderate exercise.
- We should avoid fast food, sugary or fatty foods, and sugary soft drinks. These foods and drinks don't increase your risk of cancer by themselves, but they do increase your risk of putting on weight.
- We should eat at least five portions of fruit and vegetables every day. That means about 400 grams (14 ounces) of fruit and vegetables, and doesn't include starchy vegetables like potatoes. We should also eat plenty of unprocessed cereals or grains, such as wholemeal bread, oats and brown rice.
- We should only eat small amounts of red meat, such as beef, pork and lamb, and avoid processed or salted meats, such as bacon, as much as possible. The researchers recommend eating less than 750 grams (26 ounces) of red meat each week (uncooked weight).
- We should only drink small amounts of alcohol. The report recommends no more than two drinks a day for men, and no more than one for women.
- We shouldn't eat too much salt. We should aim to eat less than six grams of salt a day, which is about a teaspoonful. This includes salt in food, such as processed foods.
- We needn't bother taking vitamin pills (except for special cases like folic acid in pregnancy). Although vitamin supplements may prevent cancer in some people at high risk of cancer, there's no proof they help most people. Getting vitamins from food is better.
- Mothers should try to breastfeed their children for up to six months. Breastfeeding is good for babies, and also cuts the mother's risk of breast cancer.
Where does the report come from?
The report was produced by the World Cancer Research Fund, a charity that funds research into preventing cancer.
What does this mean for me?
The researchers think that about a third of cancers could be prevented if everyone followed the report's advice. In the UK, that would mean about 95,000 fewer people getting cancer each year. That's without taking into account preventable cancers caused by smoking.
Although the report's advice may help people make healthier choices, some people think that the changes required are too big for individuals to make by themselves. To put it in perspective, the last time the average person in the UK weighed the recommended healthy amount was during the 1940s, when many foods were rationed.
A spokesperson for Cancer Research says that the government should make it easier for people to make healthy choices. This could include banning the advertising of unhealthy foods, or clear 'traffic light' labelling to show fat, sugar and salt content.
What should I do now?
If you smoke, stopping smoking is the most important thing you can do to cut your cancer risk. After this, the report says that keeping to a healthy weight is the best thing you can do to prevent cancer.
If you need more advice on giving up smoking or losing weight, your doctor will be able to help you.
From:
World Cancer Research Fund. Food, nutrition, physical activity, and the prevention of cancer: a global perspective. Published online November 2007. Available at: http://www.dietandcancerreport.org.
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© BMJ Publishing Group Limited ("BMJ Group") 2007. All rights reserved
This information does not replace medical advice. If you are concerned you might have a medical problem please ask your Boots pharmacy team in your local Boots store, or see your doctor.
