Eating to Prevent Cancer: How a Healthy Diet and Physical Activity May Help Keep You Cancer Free Where Health Care Professionals Go for Information Review Date 2/12 O-0539

It is possible to prevent: 35% of cancers by: –Following a healthy diet –Maintaining a healthy weight –Having regular physical exercise 30% of cancers by: –Not using tobacco Relationship Between Lifestyle and Cancer

Many foods and nutrients are linked to cancer prevention For cancer prevention, focus on an overall healthy diet, rather than specific foods or nutrients Relationship Between Lifestyle and Cancer (contd)

Achieve and maintain a healthy weight throughout life Keep physically active Eat a healthy diet, with an emphasis on plant foods If you drink alcohol, limit your intake American Cancer Society Guidelines

Overweight and inactivity accounts for one third of the worldwide cases of these cancers: Esophagus Pancreas Colon and rectum Breast (after menopause) Endometrium (lining of the uterus) Kidney Thyroid Gallbladder Achieve and Maintain a Healthy Weight

Stay as lean as possible throughout life without becoming underweight Avoid excessive weight gain at all ages Know that losing even a small amount of weight has health benefits Achieve and Maintain a Healthy Weight (contd)

Know your body mass index (BMI): Below 18.5=underweight 18.5–24.9=normal weight 25.0–29.9=overweight 30.0 and above=obese Maintain a Healthy Weight

Eat plenty of fruits and vegetables Limit simple sugars (cakes, cookies, pies, candies, and sweetened drinks) Eat smaller portions of everything Add physical activity to your life Tips for Maintaining a Healthy Weight

Adults: Get a least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity each week, spread throughout the week Children and adolescents: Get 60 minutes/day of moderate to vigorous physical activity each day, with vigorous activity at least 3 days per week Stay Physically Active

Examples include: – Fruits – Vegetables – Legumes Packed with vitamins, minerals, antioxidants, and other substances that work together to lower risks of several cancers Eat a Healthy Diet: Emphasis on Plant Foods

Lung cancer Mouth cancer Esophageal cancer Stomach cancer Colon cancer Cancers Associated With Low Intake of Plant Foods

Eat at least 2½ cups of fruits and vegetables each day Choose whole grains over processed (refined) grains and sugars Limit consumption of processed red meats Eat a Healthy Diet: Emphasis on Plant Foods

Choose colorful fruits and vegetables for the most nutrient content Select a variety of fruits and vegetables Enjoy fruits and vegetables prepared and served without added fat or sugar Fruits and Vegetables

Limit consumption if you drink alcoholic beverages Drink no more than one drink/day for women and two drinks/day for men A drink is 12 fluid ounces (fl oz) of regular beer, 5 fl oz of wine, or 1.5 fl oz of spirits Alcoholic Beverages

Oral (mouth) Pharyngeal (throat) Esophageal Laryngeal (voice box) Breast Liver Cancers Associated With Alcohol Intake

Antioxidants: –Vitamins A, C, E, carotenoids, and selenium –No evidence supports taking antioxidant supplements to prevent cancer Food Components That May Prevent Cancer

Dietary fiber: –The link between fiber and cancer is weak –Foods that contain fiber are high in other nutrients that may prevent cancer Food Components That May Prevent Cancer (contd)

Phytochemicals: –Compounds made by plants that may prevent cancer, such as lycopene in tomatoes –No evidence that phytochemical supplements prevent cancer Food Components That May Prevent Cancer (contd)

Vitamin D: –Growing evidence shows that vitamin D may help to prevent colorectal cancer –In some cases, supplements are recommended for good health, but not necessarily for cancer prevention Food Components That May Prevent Cancer (contd)

Cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, and cabbage): –These vegetables may contain phytochemicals that reduce cancer risk –A wide variety of vegetables is recommendednot just cruciferous vegetables Do These Foods Prevent Cancer?

Soy foods: –The phytochemicals that they contain may fight cancer (based on animal studies) –Soy-based foods, such as tofu, may lower the risk of cancers of the breast, prostate, or endometrium –Evidence does not support the use of isolated soy phytochemical supplements to reduce cancer risk Do These Foods Prevent Cancer? (contd)

Tea: –Some research (animal studies) suggests that tea may have antioxidant properties and prevent cancer –Studies in humans are less conclusive –Drinking tea is not shown to prevent cancer in humans Do These Foods Prevent Cancer? (contd)

Garlic: –The health benefits of garlic are widely publicized –Not enough evidence exists to support garlic as a food to prevent cancer at this time Do These Foods Prevent Cancer? (contd)

Irradiated foods Bioengineered foods Aspartame Coffee Dietary fat Pesticides and herbicides (wash food thoroughly) Things That Do Not Cause Cancer

Achieve and maintain a healthy weight throughout life Stay physically active Eat a healthy diet, with emphasis on plant foods If you drink alcohol, limit your intake The Bottom Line

Focus on the overall content of your diet, rather than specific nutrients At this time, no strong evidence is available to suggest that you should take vitamin supplements to prevent cancer The Bottom Line (contd)

References American Cancer Society. ACS guidelines on nutrition and physical activity for cancer prevention. Available at: PhysicalActivityforCancerPrevention/acs-guidelines-on-nutrition-and-physical- activity-for-cancer-prevention-intro. Accessed February 28, PhysicalActivityforCancerPrevention/acs-guidelines-on-nutrition-and-physical- activity-for-cancer-prevention-intro American Institute for Cancer Research. Cancer resource: introduction. Available at: Accessed February 28, Centers of Disease Control and Prevention. Healthy weightits not a diet, its a lifestyle! Available at: Accessed February 28,

Kushi LH, Byers T, Doyle C, et al; American Cancer Society 2006 Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee. American Cancer Society guidelines on nutrition and physical activity for cancer prevention: reducing the risk of cancer with healthy food choices and physical activity. CA Cancer J Clin. 2006;56: National Cancer Institute. Cancer prevention overview (PDQ ® ). Available at: al. Accessed February 28, al National Cancer Institute. Obesity and cancer risk. Available at: Accessed February 28, References (contd)