Obesity due to an unhealthy diet will soon make smoking the number one cancer risk. If you don’t want to let it get that far, you should take the nutritional recommendations of the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) to heart.
The data of 51 million people – this is the information pool on which the cancer prevention recommendations of the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) are based. Over 40 internationally active scientists have reformulated the data into recommendations for the non-profit health organization in five years of work.
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The latest update notes that diet has become the linchpin of cancer prevention. Because: Unhealthy food in combination with a lack of exercise is the cause of obesity. And that will soon replace smoking as the main preventable risk factor for cancer.
Diet against cancer: lifestyle patterns influence risk
WCRF researchers blame obesity for twelve types of cancer – five more than in 2007 when they first made the prevention recommendations:
- Colon cancer
- Stomach cancer
- Breast cancer
- Mouth and throat cancer
- Esophageal cancer
- Pancreatic cancer
- Gallbladder cancer
- Kidney cancer
- Prostate cancer
- Ovarian cancer
- Cervical cancer.
The experts do not blame any single food or nutrient for the rise in cancer. The potential protective function is also not based on isolated components. It is lifestyle patterns that influence the risk of cancer.
Obesity greater risk of cancer than smoking
Smoking, high alcohol consumption, and lack of exercise interact with a diet that has too much of everything: too much salt, sugar, fat and red meat, too much industrial processing, and too many calories.
The opposite of this is propagated by the WCRF recommendations on cancer prevention. 30 to 40 percent fewer cancer cases could be achieved with more exercise and healthier food. To this end, the report of the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has worked out a program for which five points relate to nutrition.
Point 1: Wholesome nutrition
Lots of whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and legumes should be the basis and main component of your daily diet. Everyone should get 400 grams – without starch-rich vegetables such as potatoes or other tubers. Every meal should include low-processing grains and/or legumes. This is how you achieve the recommended 30 grams of fiber – direct protection against colon cancer.
Point 2: Less fast food
Consumption of fast foods and other processed foods that are high in fat, sugar, or starch should be reduced. So as few ready meals, pastries and sweets as possible.
Point 3: Less red meat and sausage products
Beef and pork, ham, sausages and cold cuts – red meat should be served in a maximum of three servings per week. This corresponds to 350 to a maximum of 500 grams. The limitation is particularly important for processed meat, i.e. all sausage products.
Point 4: No lemonades and other sugared drinks
Not only cola contains a huge mountain of sugar. Other soft drinks, smoothies or iced teas cannot do without added sugar. For the necessary 1.5 to two liters of fluid per day, it should be water or an unsweetened drink. For example tea or coffee. There is evidence that coffee protects against liver cancer. Nevertheless, it must not be more than four cups per 100 milliliters per day.
Point 5: Refraining from alcohol
In terms of cancer prevention, alcohol should not be consumed at all. Those who do not want to do without alcoholic beverages should not exceed the recommendation: two glasses a day for men, one glass a day for women.
Eating healthy + exercise + staying slim = cancer prevention
In addition to these dietary requirements, there are two other important points on the recommendation list for cancer prevention:
a) Pay attention to your body weight
The weight should be kept within a healthy range determined by the body mass index, i.e. between 18.5 and 24.9. Below that you are underweight, above that you become overweight. In addition, the weight and the waist circumference should remain reasonably stable throughout adulthood, and above all not pull upwards too much. In childhood and adolescence, body weight should be in the lower range of the normal BMI.
b) Be physically active
Fitness studio, football club, bike tours – everyone can choose the type of physical activity they like, the main thing is that they are regularly on their toes.
We recommend: getting out of breath for 30 minutes three times a week. Or at least walk for 30 minutes every day.
The protective effect of sport for colon, breast and uterine cancer has been proven.
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In addition, exercise counteracts obesity and thus indirectly protects against cancer that occurs as a result.
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