National Cancer Prevention Month

Posted On February 3, 2020
Categories Features

There are approximately 12.7 million cancer cases globally every year, and this number is expected to increase to 26 million by 2030. The U.S. has the 7th highest overall cancer rate in the world.

February 4th marks World Cancer Day, and February is National Cancer Prevention Month. As part of its cancer awareness and prevention efforts, the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) emphasizes that nearly one-third of the most common cancers in the U.S. are preventable.

To commemorate World Cancer Day, AICR recently posted the following recommendations for cancer prevention, selected from the 2007 World Cancer Research Fund/AICR Second Expert Report, Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer:

Be as lean as possible without becoming underweight
– Aim to build more activity, like brisk walking, into your daily routine
– Avoid sugary drinks, and limit consumption of energy-dense foods (i.e., those with a high ratio of calories to volume)
– Eat a variety of vegetables, fruits, whole grains, and legumes
– Limit red meat consumption (e.g., beef, pork, and lamb) and avoid processed meats
– Limit alcoholic drinks (if consumed at all) to 2 drinks for men and 1 drink for women
– Limit consumption of salty foods and foods processed with salt (sodium)
– Do not use dietary supplements to protect against cancer (i.e., these should not be a substitute for a healthy diet that includes nutrient-rich whole foods)

For more information, go to the following links –

https://www.aicr.org/

https://www.aacrfoundation.org/Pages/february-is-national-cancer-prevention-month.aspx