Highlights
- Cancer prevention recommendations were updated in 2018 by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research.
- The report represents an important shift in emphasis to a more holistic view of diet, nutrition and physical activity, rather than focusing on specific foods that affect cancer risk.
- An estimated 40% to 50% of cancers could be prevented by reducing exposure to several behavioural, occupational and environmental risk factors.
In 2018, the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) released their Third Expert Report, which represents an important shift in emphasis to a more holistic view of diet, nutrition and physical activity for cancer prevention. It provides a review of the latest evidence from the past decade to develop the most reliable cancer prevention advice related to diet and physical activity currently available. It also provides recommendations aimed at reducing the incidence of cancer worldwide, based on scientific evidence that is “convincing” or “probable.”
The report, entitled Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cancer: A Global Perspective, builds on the First and Second Expert Reports, released in 1997 and 2007. Although the 1997 and 2007 reports identified many specific foods (such as processed meat) and components of foods (such as dietary fibre) that may increase or decrease the risk of one or more cancers, the Third Expert Report indicates that the greatest impact on someone’s cancer risk profile comes from patterns of diet and physical activity combined.[1] This conclusion suggests that the more someone follows the recommendations set out in the report, the more their risk will be reduced for specific cancers, as well as cancer in general.
| Topic/Risk Factor | Associated Cancers | Recommendations |
|---|---|---|
| Maintain a healthy weight | Esophagus (adenocarcinoma), pancreas, liver, colorectum, breast (post-menopausal), kidney, endometrium, mouth, pharynx and larynx, stomach (cardia), gallbladder, ovary and prostate (advanced stage) |
|
| Be physically active | Colon, breast (post-menopausal) and endometrium |
|
| Consume a diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits and beans | Colorectum |
|
| Limit consumption of fast foods and other processed foods | Cancers associated with body fatness[*] |
|
| Limit consumption of red and processed meat | Colorectum |
|
| Avoid consumption of sugar-sweetened drinks | Cancers associated with body fatness[*] |
|
| Limit alcohol consumption | Mouth, pharynx and larynx, esophagus (squamous cell carcinoma), liver, colorectum, breast (pre- and post-menopausal) and stomach |
|
The consistency that can be seen across the recommendations in the 2007 report and the most recent report increases confidence in the evidence base on cancer prevention and in the prevention advice given to policy-makers, health professionals and the public. Research has shown that public policy and community-wide programs that facilitate healthier individual choices may be more effective in reducing the prevalence of modifiable risk factors at a population level than trying to change behaviours 1 person at a time.
Nearly 1 in 2 Ontarians is expected to be diagnosed with cancer at some point during their lifetime. It was estimated that in 2018 alone, more than 90,000 new cases of cancer were diagnosed in Ontario.[2] In countries similar to Canada, an estimated 40% to 50% of cancers could be prevented by reducing exposure to several behavioural, occupational and environmental risk factors.[3][4][5]
Cancer Care Ontario recognizes the need for continued work in partnership with key stakeholders, such as those in public health, to increase healthy eating and physical activity among Ontarians. The CCO Chronic Disease Prevention Strategy provides a comprehensive plan for the way we will work with our partners to reduce new cases of major chronic diseases by decreasing the number of people with modifiable risk factors. Targeting cancer risk factors and exposures may also reduce the burden of other major chronic diseases, such as diabetes, cardiovascular disease and chronic respiratory disease, because they share many of the same risk factors.