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Healthy living to avoid cancer

Maintaining healthy eating habits and keeping the bodyweight down can help prevent at least one-third of the cancers, the latest report from the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), which has been studying cancer data from different parts of the world for the past five years, has said.

The report, released last Wednesday, was part of a project, ‘Food, Nutrition and Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: A Global Perspective,’ jointly undertaken by WCRF and the American Institute for Cancer Research.

Cancer was considered a disease of the genes, which were vulnerable to mutations. But epidemiological evidence from across the world showed that only a small fraction of cancers were inherited, while the rest were mostly determined by environmental factors. Nutritional factors were important in determining certain genetic mutations and even in changing the function of genes. Environmental factors like smoking, radiation, use of chemicals or exposure to radiations, and food habits could be modified to prevent cancer, the report said.

One of the main recommendations of the report was the maintenance of a healthy bodyweight throughout life. It stressed on the fact that obesity and weight-gain could lead to endometrial, bowel, post-menopausal breast, and kidney cancers. It said that there was enough evidence that body fat played a crucial role in the development of some of these cancers, especially breast cancer.

All forms of physical activity protected against some cancers which were linked to obesity. Moderate or rigorous physical activity was recommended on a daily basis.

A predominantly vegetarian diet could keep the weight down. Also, most diets that protected against cancer were made up of foods of plant origin. This was because plant foods were high in nutrients and dietary fibre and was not energy-intensive. The advice thus was to limit the consumption of energy-dense foods and to avoid sugary drinks.

The report warned to limit the intake of red meat and to avoid processed meats like bacon or sausage. Salt-preserved foods could cause stomach cancer. The recommendation was that one should restrict the intake of red meat to no more than 500 grams a week.

WCRF said that the evidence on cancer justified a recommendation to totally avoid alcohol. However, considering other evidence that modest amounts of alcohol may be good, it has suggested that the intake of alcohol be limited.

The report also emphasised the importance of breast feeding, which protected against breast cancer, and recommended breastfeeding up to six months.

The report emphasised on how small modifications in lifestyles could go a long way in preventing cancers or at least reducing the risk factors for cancer

C. Maya

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