World Cancer Research Fund International, or WCRF, leads a worldwide network of organizations involved in the prevention and control of cancer through nutritious eating, physical activity and maintaining a healthy body fat percentage. In 2007, WCRF collaborated with the American Institute for Cancer Research to update a previous report on recommendations for diet and lifestyle to prevent cancer.
Foods to Include
The WCRF study recommends eating mostly plant foods. Include at least five servings of a variety of non-starchy vegetables and of fruit each day. Servings should be at least 400g, or 14 oz. Include vegetables and fruits of the colors green, orange, purple, red and white. In addition, eat relatively unprocessed grains or legumes, or both, with every meal.
Foods to Avoid
Limit your intake of many other types of foods to prevent cancer, the WCRF study says. These include energy-dense foods, or foods with high caloric levels per weight, along with refined starchy foods, sugary drinks and alcohol. Cut back on salt. Restrict your consumption of red meat, defined by the WCRF as beef, pork, lamb and goat from domesticated animals. Do not eat processed meat, which includes meat with added chemical preservatives or meat preserved by smoking or curing.
Lifestyle
The report also includes a few general lifestyle recommendations. Be physically active every day, and stay as lean as you can within normal body weight range. In addition, meet your nutritional needs through diet rather than with supplements.
Misconceptions
An article published in the "Annals of Oncology" in 2008, with lead author P. Boyle, took issue with the WCRF guidelines because they put too much emphasis on weight and did not address tobacco, which is a greater risk for cancer. Although a WCRF press release said the best advice for cancer prevention is avoiding weight gain, the "Annals" article disagrees, explaining that avoiding tobacco use is the single best advice for decreasing cancer risk. In high-income countries, an estimated 29 percent of cancer deaths are due to tobacco smoking while 3 percent are connected with obesity and overweight, according to the article. The authors express concern that the public is being led to think cancer prevention depends on not eating bacon or drinking soda.
Considerations
The "Annals of Oncology" authors also caution that the WCRF report doesn't indicate an identifiable connection between many types of cancer and diet. Even after years of research, little definitive information is available about diet changes necessary to decrease cancer risk. Investigating dietary patterns, such as the Mediterranean diet, rather than the effects of specific foods, may be more valuable, according to this article.
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