New major cancer prevention report on dietary and lifestyle patterns

What are dietary and lifestyle patterns?

Dietary patterns refer to quantities, proportions, combinations and varieties of different foods, drinks and nutrients, and the frequency with which they are consumed. DLPs refer to a combination of a certain dietary pattern with other measures such as body weight and behaviour-related risk factors including physical activity, alcohol consumption and smoking.

The insights presented in the report can support improvements in cancer prevention strategies, including policy guidance and help populations around the world to adopt healthy DLPs.

The work is part of WCRF International’s Global Cancer Update Programme – the world’s largest source of scientific research on the impact of diet, nutrition, physical activity, and body weight on cancer prevention and living with and beyond cancer.

Two research teams from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands used CUP Global methodology to conduct a comprehensive review of the research on colorectal and breast cancer incidence and mortality.

WCRF International worked with an expert panel who judged the evidence and made recommendations on the characteristics of a cancer-preventing DLP.

Global Cancer Update Programme collaborator and Professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Prof Edward Giovannucci, said:

“The work by the Global Cancer Update Programme in reviewing and synthesising the literature on the role of dietary and lifestyle patterns in relation to colorectal cancer risk and mortality represents an immense step forward in how healthy lifestyle habits are key to prevention of cancer.

“The major advancement of this project is in the development of methods of synthesising the data on diet and lifestyle in a more holistic manner, rather than examining piecemeal specific components such as individual foods and nutrients.

“These new findings strongly support that adopting a healthy pattern of diet, maintaining a healthy weight, staying physically active, and embracing health-conscious habits, such as avoiding tobacco and moderating alcohol, are collectively associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer.”

For colorectal cancer, the panel analysed 86 studies. Based on this evidence, they have recommended a DLP for reducing the risk of bowel cancer that includes:

• Maintaining a healthy weight and regularly taking part in physical activity
• Prioritising fruit and vegetables, as well as fibre-containing foods
• Consuming coffee and food and beverages that contain calcium such as dairy products
• Reducing the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages and alcohol
• Avoiding smoking
• Avoiding eating processed meats

For breast cancer incidence and mortality, the panel assessed 84 research publications and recommended a DLP that includes:

• Maintaining a healthy weight and regularly taking part in physical activity
• Prioritising fruit and vegetables and fibre-containing foods
• Lowering consumption of red and processed meat and sugar-sweetened beverages
• Avoiding alcohol and smoking

Global Cancer Update Programme collaborator and Lead Researcher at the Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands and the Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition Networking Biomedical Research Centre, Dr Dora Romaguera, said:

“Globally, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. We have conducted the first comprehensive synthesis of the totality of the evidence on the associations between dietary and lifestyle patterns and breast cancer risk.

“Our findings are strengthened by the robust approach to critically assessing the strength of the evidence as part of the Global Cancer Update Programme.

“This report provides clear evidence that by looking at our whole diet and the way we live, there are clear steps to recommend to women to lower their breast cancer risk. Importantly, this work highlights the greatest benefit is found when adhering to most aspects of a cancer preventative pattern simultaneously.

“By looking out our whole diet and the way we live, there are clear steps we can take to minimise our risk of breast cancer.”

In the report, the panel gave a range of recommendations on how to encourage populations around the world to adhere to healthy DLPs. These include:

• It is important that our recommendation for a cancer preventative dietary and lifestyle pattern is tailored to the region. This will only be adopted by individuals and communities and be sustainable if it is seen as culturally acceptable. Because of this, we made every effort to ensure that the constituents are not prescriptive but can be adapted to include foods available globally.
• When developing or updating food-based dietary guidelines, awareness of how the diet impacts, and is impacted by, our changing climate should be communicated.
• For further policy tools to promote our recommendations and our dietary and lifestyle pattern, please refer to WCRF International’s Policy Blueprint. This includes principles for design and implementation of policies, and how policies can be developed to address health inequalities.

World Cancer Research Fund’s Executive Director of Research and Policy Dr Giota Mitrou, said:

“This report outlines barriers and opportunities that exist, which could either prevent or help populations stick to a healthy dietary and lifestyle pattern. A cancer preventative Dietary and Lifestyle Pattern is paramount to sustaining healthy nations and and we hope will have wider benefits for the health of our planet.

“Our recommendations are applicable to all and should also be adapted to reflect specific cultural traditions and local contexts. Dietary and lifestyle changes are unlikely to be possible without wider societal policies that allow for better access to healthy foods and other health behaviours related to cancer prevention.”

Read the published papers

> Breast Cancer and Dietary and Lifestyle Patterns paper

> Colorectal cancer and dietary and lifestyle patterns paper

 > Colorectal cancer and dietary patterns paper