Newcastle University
Experts at the University of Newcastle have reviewed the evidence for following the 2018 World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) lifestyle-based recommendations.
The findings, published in the journal Cancer , revealed that following a healthier lifestyle, including maintaining a healthy body weight and eating little red meat and processed meats such as bacon, helps avoid several forms of the disease.
More evidence
Approximately 40% of all cancers are related to modifiable lifestyle factors , such as physical inactivity, tobacco use, living with obesity, poor diet, and alcohol consumption, suggesting that many cases are preventable. .
Scientists found that each 1-point increase in a score used to assess compliance with these cancer prevention recommendations resulted in a 12% lower risk of bowel cancer, an 11% lower risk of breast cancer and an 8% lower chance of lung cancer.
Dr Fiona Malcomson, Professor of Human Nutrition at the Human Nutrition and Exercise Research Center at Newcastle University, is a co-author of the study.
She said: “This is the first study to review the evidence to date on the impact of following the latest version of the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research Cancer Prevention Recommendations and the risk of develop cancer.
“Our findings are exciting as they provide further evidence of some of the best ways to reduce the risk of cancer, particularly breast, bowel and lung cancers.
“By following these recommendations, people can reduce their risk of certain types of cancer, and we would recommend that people follow them as strictly as possible.
“The evidence for the effects of lifestyle factors is stronger for certain types of cancer. For example, eating a lot of red and processed meat increases the risk of bowel cancer, and drinking alcohol can increase the risk of breast, bowel and esophageal cancer.”
However, there are other non-modifiable factors, such as a family history of cancer and environmental exposures, that can also affect a person’s risk of developing the disease.
Scientists conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis of 18 published studies that investigated associations between adherence to the 2018 recommendations and the incidence of different types of cancer.
The WCRF/AICR cancer prevention recommendations are the conclusions of an independent panel of experts: they represent a package of healthy lifestyle choices that, together, can affect the likelihood that people will develop cancer.
The recommendations are:
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’Deepen understanding’
Dr Panagiota Mitrou, Director of Research, Policy and Innovation at the World Cancer Research Fund, said: “This study deepens our understanding of the impact our Recommendations have on reducing cancer risk.
“The more evidence we have that shows how following our Recommendations as a pattern of behavior can reduce the risk of cancer, such as eating a healthy diet, staying active and maintaining a healthy weight, the more we can support positive change.”
This research was carried out as part of the UK Cancer Lifestyle Prevention Recommendations (CALIPER) Study, a £280,000 study involving Professors John Mathers and Linda Sharp from the University of Newcastle, and Dr Fiona Malcomson, funded by the Wereld Kanker Onderzoek Fonds (WKOF).
More research is needed to confirm these findings in relation to additional cancer sites. The CALIPER UK Study, a collaboration between the University of Newcastle and the University of Glasgow, is using data from the UK Biobank to investigate whether greater adherence to the Recommendations changes the risk of developing cancer at 14 sites in a UK population .
Discussion
This systematic review and meta-analysis summarizes the most recent evidence of associations between adherence to the 2018 WCRF/AICR Cancer Prevention Recommendations and cancer risk, including risk of breast, lung, and colorectal cancer. These are the first, second and third most common cancers worldwide, respectively, and are among those cancers for which risk is most affected by lifestyle factors.
Across all studies, we found that the risk of any type of cancer was 27% lower in people with higher adherence to the 2018 Cancer Prevention Recommendations in the highest versus lowest score category. These findings are similar to those of a previous study that reported a 29% lower risk of incident total cancer with the healthiest compared to the least healthy lifestyle scores. Furthermore, in the current meta-analysis, across all studies, each 1-point increase in adherence score, equivalent to fully adhering to an additional recommendation, was associated with a 10% reduction in cancer risk.
Final message
In conclusion, the findings of this systematic review and meta-analysis provide strong evidence that adherence to the 2018 WCRF/AICR cancer prevention recommendations reduces the risk of any type of cancer, as well as the risk of breast cancer, colorectal and lung. Because high levels of heterogeneity were observed, pooled effect estimates should be interpreted with caution.
Further studies investigating associations between adherence to the 2018 Cancer Prevention Recommendations and cancer risk at additional sites are warranted, particularly lifestyle-related cancers and less common cancers. Additionally, additional cancer-related outcomes, such as cancer survival, as well as broader health-related outcomes, such as all-cause mortality, should be explored.
Reference : Adherence to the 2018 World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF)/ American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) Cancer Prevention Recommendations and cancer risk: a systematic review and meta-analysis . FC Malcomson et al. Cancer. DOI: 10.1002/cncr.34842
