CANCER PREVENTION

The Continuous Update Project is the world's largest resource of scientific literature on food, nutrition, physical activity, and cancer. The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) suggests that that lifestyle-related factors account for about 30% of all cancers in Western countries. It is known that research over the past 25 years has shown that there are three controllable lifestyle choices that can decrease risk factors for diagnosis or recurrence. These include: maintaining a healthy body weight; eating a healthy diet; and getting regular physical activity. According to the AICR, one-third of cancers in the 1.5 million cancers that occur every year in the United States could be prevented by these three controllable lifestyle choices. In order to best prevent cancer and promote survivorship, the AICR recommends that individuals try to stay as lean as possible within the healthy range of body weight.