Following Cancer Prevention Guidelines Can Lower Risk
A team from the University of Arizona’s Mel and Enid Zuckerman’s College of Public Health conducted the first review of its kind to track adherence to dietary and physical activity cancer prevention guidelines with actual cancer outcomes.
An estimated 1.7 million new cancer diagnoses and nearly 600,000 cancer deaths are expected in the U.S. in 2016, according to the American Cancer Society.
Preventive Measures Possible. Adopting lifestyle modifications that follow the cancer prevention guidelines established by the combination of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the American Cancer Society, and the World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research could prevent many of these deaths, according to the review.
Unhealthy Habits Singled Out. Poor lifestyle behaviors, such as unhealthy diets, physical inactivity, excess alcohol consumption, and excess body weight, could account for more than 20 percent of cancer cases, according to the review, which was published July 1, 2016 in the journal Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. If you add use of tobacco products to this equation, then 66 percent of U.S. cancer deaths could be attributed to these unhealthy, but modifiable, lifestyle behaviors, the authors write.
Other benefits to following the guidelines include significant reductions for site-specific cancers, including breast cancer (19-60 percent), endometrial cancer (23-60 percent), and colorectal cancer in both men and women (27-52 percent), according to the review.
Recommended Lifestyle Modifications. The prevention guidelines focus on specific lifestyle modifications for cancer prevention as well as overall good health. These include:
- Maintaining a healthy weight throughout life
- Engaging in physical activity
- Consuming a healthy diet, with an emphasis on plant-based foods
- Limiting alcohol consumption.
Additional, more specific guidelines include:
- Limiting red meat consumption and avoiding processed meats (cold cuts)
- Limiting energy-dense foods
- Avoiding sugary drinks
- Limiting salt intake
- Choosing whole grains instead of refined grains
- Eating five or more servings of fruits and vegetables daily.
Researchers concluded that adherence to a pattern of healthy behaviors, as outlined in the cancer prevention guidelines, is associated with lower risks of overall cancer incidence and mortality. The team reviewed 12 studies to determine the association between adherence to guidelines versus cancer outcomes.
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