New report reinforces call for better diet and more physical activity to prevent cancer
24th May 2018
Eating better and exercising more can help reduce cancer risk, reiterates the third in a series of reports studying the impact of diet, nutrition and physical activity on cancer.
The report is titled Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cancer: a Global Perspective (the Third Expert Report). It is a product of an ongoing review of decades of evidence by world-renowned, independent experts from across the globe, known as the Continuous Update Project led by World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF).
The report stresses that cancer prevention depends not only on individual choices but also on governments creating an environment that encourages lifelong healthy eating and a physically active lifestyle.
World Health Assembly
WCRF released the report on 23 May, as its representatives attended the World Health Assembly (WHA), where they urged governments to prioritise cancer prevention through the development and implementation of effective policies.
“Our research shows it’s unlikely that specific foods or nutrients are important single factors in causing or protecting against cancer. Rather, different patterns of diet and physical activity throughout life combine to make you more or less susceptible to cancer,” said Dr Giota Mitrou, WCRF’s Director of Research Funding and External Relations.
According to WCRF, the report provides strengthened evidence for a comprehensive package of behaviours that, when followed together, represent the most reliable blueprint available for living healthily to reduce cancer risk. These are described in the report’s Cancer Prevention Recommendations.
Research done since the previous version of the guidelines was released in 2007 has found that people who follow the cancer prevention recommendations reduce new incidence of cancer, cancer death and all-cause mortality.
