DIETARY CHANGES CAN SIGNIFICANTLY REDUCE THE RISK OF COLOR CANCER IN PEOPLE AT HIGH RISK

According to research published in American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, people at high risk of colorectal cancer can reduce their risk even by 40% by reducing the consumption of red and processed meat and increasing the consumption of fruit and vegetables. The researchers compared lifestyle scores with cancer rates among 346,297 participants from the UK Biobank medical database and grouped participants into healthy, unhealthy and intermediate groups based on American Cancer Society guidelines. People with healthier lifestyles reduced their risk of cancer compared to those with lower scores, and the risk reduction was most pronounced among people with high genetic risk. A healthy lifestyle is associated with higher consumption of plant foods and reduced body weight, limited alcohol consumption and other behaviors associated with cancer risk. These results support lifestyle modifications as effective in preventing cancer.

Source:

Choi J, Jia G, Wen W, Shu XO, Zheng W. Healthy lifestyles, genetic modifiers, and colorectal cancer risk: a prospective cohort study in the UK Biobank. Am J Clin Nutr. 2021;113(4):810-820. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqaa404s