By Seven Weaver Producer
News 3 On Your Side, Nutritionist Beth Bussey of the John B. Amos Cancer Center, WCRF
Rating Cancer RiskNews 3 On Your Side, Nutritionist Beth Bussey of the John B. Amos Cancer Center, WCRF
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Stumble It!What causes cancer?
Cigarette smoking is the number one culprit. An additional 30 to 35% of cancers are caused by diet. That's the conclusion of the Second Expert Report on Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of
Cancer: A Global Perspective, released in November by the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund.
After 5 years of reviewing the results of 7,000 studies, the report's international panel of 21 experts rated the cancer risks from 61 different "exposures" such as obesity, sedentary living, red meat, alcohol, sugary drinks, fast foods, television viewing, and more on 17 kinds of cancer.
If you don't smoke, the single most important thing you can do to prevent cancer is to keep your weight under control. The best way to do that if you're a young adult and not already overweight is to be on the lookout for even a three or four pound gain in weight. Most people become obese by gaining a couple of pounds a year.
Endometrial, colon, kidney, pancreatic, postmenopausal breast, lymphoma, leukemia, and esophageal cancers are increased by overweight.
If you are already overweight, even as little as a 5 to 10% weight loss can be important.
For example, among women who never used post menopausal hormones, those who lost at least 22 pounds since menopause had a 57% lower risk of breast cancer than those who didn't lose weight. The amount of weight gained after age 18 correlates with increased risk of postmenopausal breast cancer. Weight gained correlates with increased body fat which correlates with both higher insulin and estrogen levels.
Next to tobacco use and body fatness, alcohol seems to be the third chief culprit in promoting cancers of many types.
With breast cancer, it's clear that even one drink a day can significantly increase risk.
The report emphasizes the protection of whole foods in general, with increased plant foods and limiting calorie-dense foods - that's foods that have more than 65 to 80 calories an ounce. Dietary supplements are not recommended for cancer prevention.
The full 500-page report can be viewed or downloaded for free at www.dietandcancerreport.org.
