Recent Statements From the American Institute for Cancer Research How to Avoid Cancer!
The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is the cancer group that encourages research on the relationship of nutrition, physical activity and weight management as it relates to cancer risk. They interpret scientific literature and report it to the public. AICR has recently published two landmark reports that interpret the scientific literature and is providing a wide range of educational programs to translate the results of the literature to help Americans learn to make dietary changes for lower cancer risk.
The AICR’s second report included the following specific guidelines stated in general educational guidelines:
1. Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight.
2. Be physically active for at least 30 minutes each day.
3. Avoid sugary drinks. Limit consumption of energy –dense foods (i.e. foods high in sugar, low in fiber, or high in fat)
4. Eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes.
5. Limit alcoholic drinks to 2 for men and 1 for women per day. Avoid completely is best recommendation.
6. Limit consumption of red meats to 18 oz per week. Avoid processed meats. For every 3.5 ounces of processed meat consumed daily, the risk for colorectal cancer increases by 42%.
7. Limit consumption of salty foods and foods processed with salt.
8. Don’t use supplements to protect against cancer.
9. After treatment, cancer survivors should follow recommendations for cancer prevention
10. It is best for mothers to breastfeed exclusively for up to 6 months and then add other liquids and foods.
All recommendations are based on evidence. For example, the evidence that excess body fat increases the risk of developing cancer is much stronger now than ever before according to a landmark study released recently. Risks are increased for cancer of the colon, kidney, pancreas, adenocarcinomas of the esophagus and the endometrium as well as post- menopausal breast cancer.
Evidence linking consumption of alcohol, red meat and processed meat is now deemed convincing.
Evidence is not convincing relative to the use of supplements in cancer. Some supplements promoted to protect the good tissue from harm during chemotherapy may also protect the cancer cells. One such suspicious and well-know cancer supplement is resveratrol.
The point is, cancer is preventable. There are changes a person can make to reduce their chances of developing this dreadly disease.
