by Amy Spangler
October 03, 2008

The jury is in. Diet and lifestyle affect cancer risk.

The World Cancer Research Fund together with the American Institute for Cancer Research gave new meaning to the words, Top 10, with the release of the second expert report on cancer prevention (November 2007), a follow-up to the first report published in 1997. A summary of their findings can be found in Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global perspective.

The 2007 report is a culmination of the work of 21 experts who spent six years (with the help of nine independent universities) reviewing the scientific evidence, formulating public health goals, and making specific recommendations. They began by identifying 500,000 studies, 7,000 of which met the rigorous standards for inclusion. The 2007 report is a meta-analysis of enormous proportion, which explains why it is being touted as the most reliable and comprehensive source for information on cancer prevention.

Many of the recommendations are “no-brainers” but they merit repeating, given the current status of public health in the United States as demonstrated by the prevalence of overweight and obesity.

1. THINK THIN—For adults, a body mass index (BMI) of 21 to 23 is recommended.
2. BE ACTIVE—Exercise 30 to 60 minutes a day.
3. LIMIT EMPTY-CALORIE FOODS—Those include sugary foods and drinks and ‘fast foods’.
4. EAT FRUITS AND VEGETABLES—Think plants instead of animals when you make food choices.
5. LIMIT RED AND PROCESSED MEAT—Eat no more than 18 ounces of red or processed meat a week.
6. LIMIT ALCOHOL—Men should have no more than two drinks a day and women one.
7. LIMIT SALT—Consume no more than 2 grams of sodium a day.
8. AVOID DIETARY SUPPLEMENTS—Eating foods that contain essential nutrients is best.
9. BREASTFEED (Can you hear me cheering?)—Breastfeed exclusively for 6 months and continue with complementary foods for at least one year.
10. CANCER SURVIVORS (Stay hopeful)—Follow recommendations 1 to 8 listed above.

The last two recommendations are classified as ‘Special Recommendations’ because scientific evidence shows that cancer prevention starts at birth and continues even after a diagnosis of cancer. Researchers in 2002 were the first to quantify the reduction in breast cancer risk as a result of breastfeeding. They found that for each year a woman breastfeeds, her breast cancer risk goes down 4.3 percent. Given that fact, it’s not surprising that exclusive and continued breastfeeding is one of two special recommendations.