Research demonstrates that many cancers can be prevented by maintaining a healthy lifestyle. To help live a healthy lifestyle, in 2007 the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) developed recommendations on key lifestyle factors and behaviours aimed at preventing cancer.
The recommendations were updated in 2018, incorporating further evidence on cancer risk factors, and focus on maintaining a healthy weight, being physically active, limiting alcohol intake and maintaining a healthy diet. Not smoking and avoiding other exposure to tobacco and excess sun are also important in reducing cancer risk.
Be a healthy weight
Keep your weight within the healthy range and avoid weight gain in adult life
Understand the research
Be physically active
We recommend being physically active as part of everyday life – walk more and sit less
Why does activity help?
Eat a better diet
Make wholegrains, veg, fruit and beans a major part of your usual diet
Why diet is important
Limit “fast foods”
Limit consumption of ‘fast foods’ and other processed foods high in fat, starches or sugars
Our thoughts on fast food
Limit red and processed meat
Eat no more than moderate amounts of red meat, such as beef, pork and lamb. Eat little, if any, processed meat.
Why avoid red meat?
Cut down on sugary drinks
Limit sugar sweetened drinks, drink mostly water and unsweetened drinks
What’s the evidence?
Limit alcohol consumption
For cancer prevention, it’s best not to drink alcohol
Our advice on alcohol
Do not use supplements for cancer prevention
Aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone
What’s wrong with supplements?
Breastfeed your baby, if you can
Breastfeeding is good for both mother and baby
What’s the evidence?
Cancer Prevention Recommendations, digital image, WCRF, accessed 12 June 2024, www.wcrf.org/diet-activity-and-cancer/cancer-prevention-recommendations
Cancer Epidemiology Division researchers Dr Yang Peng and A/Prof Harindra Jayasekara recently led a team that used Health 2020 data to assess the effect on cancer risk of following the 2018 WCRF/AICR guidelines.
Some of the key findings include:
- Participants who closely followed the WCRF/AICR recommendations had a lower risk of getting cancer.
- The group that followed the recommendations the most had an 18% lower risk of getting cancer compared to the group that followed the recommendations the least.
- The decrease in cancer risk was especially strong for cancers linked to alcohol, obesity and smoking.
- Women and those with higher education were more likely to follow the recommendations.
The study showed that following WCRF/AICR cancer prevention recommendations significantly reduces cancer risk. However, only a very small proportion of people followed these cancer prevention recommendations, which presents a significant opportunity to help prevent cancer by improving lifestyle habits.
The study highlights the need for public health efforts to encourage people to follow the WCRF/AICR cancer prevention recommendations.
Reference: Peng Y, Bassett JK, Hodge AM, Melaku YA, Afshar N, Hopper JL, Maclnnis RJ, Lynch BM, Smith-Warner SA, Giles GG, Milne RL, and Jayasekara H. Adherence to 2018 WCRF/ AICR Cancer Prevention Recommendations and Risk of Cancer: The Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 2024 Jan 9;33(1):43-54. https://doi. org/10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-23-0945