Tag Archives: Prevention Policy

AICR Welcomes New “Cancer Prevention Facts and Figures” Report

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Last week the American Cancer Society (ACS) released their annual update of US cancer statistics specifically related to cancer prevention. That report, Cancer Prevention & Early Detection Facts & Figures, turns raw data from cancer registries and other sources into easy-to-understand statistics on cancer incidence and cancer mortality on a year-by-year basis.

This year, the report’s take-home message is the pressing need for collaboration among government, private corporations, non-profit organizations, health care providers and other groups in efforts to prevent cancer.  We at AICR welcome this call, which echoes the conclusions of our policy report. And we are pleased to see ACS citing the AICR/WCRF Expert Report so prominently, in the section titled “Overweight and Obesity, Physical Activity and Nutrition”:

Obesity, physical inactivity, and poor nutrition are major risk factors for cancer, second only to tobacco use. One-third of the more than 500,000 cancer deaths in the US this year can be attributed to diet and physical inactivity habits, including overweight and obesity, while another one-third are caused by use of tobacco products.

Although genetic inheritance plays a role in the risk of some individuals developing cancer, non-inherited factors have a larger impact on cancer risk for the population as a whole. Avoiding the use of tobacco products and exposure to secondhand smoke, maintaining a healthy weight, staying physically active throughout life, and consuming a healthy diet can substantially reduce a person’s lifetime risk of developing or dying from cancer.

In an environment when the public is bombarded with health messages from every quarter — including those hawking products — any instance when different health experts speak in a single clear voice is noteworthy.  We at AICR welcome the new ACS report, because it helps make clear that when it comes to preventing cancer, there is already a consistent, evidence-based message that should rise above the noise:

Eat smart. Move more. Weigh less. And, of course, don’t smoke.

Cut Childhood Obesity with 64 Calorie Cuts (On Average)

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Drinking half a soda instead of the full can, eating six fewer French Fries, or playing basketball for about ten minutes are a few ways youths – on average – can cut the 64 daily calories a new study suggests is needed to reach the federal governments target goal for reducing childhood obesity by 2020.

The 64-calorie estimate is an average across the US population – with some kids needing to cut more calories and others fewer. It is not intended to stand in as a figure for any child, note the study authors.

The study was published online today in American Journal of Preventive Medicine.

Childhood obesity has more than tripled in the past three decades. Obese children are more likely to become obese adults. And obese adults are at increased risk of seven types of cancer, along with type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and other health disorders. Continue reading →

Did You Know? AICR’s Health Policy Priorities

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We’re in the middle of National Public Health Week, an effort to raise awareness about what we as a society need to do to live longer and healthier, so it’s a good time to highlight some key items on AICR’s public health agenda.

AICR funds research about how lifestyle influences cancer risk, and educates the public about those results. But our evidence-based Recommendations for Cancer Prevention are only the first step. We also commissioned an additional report to outline what needs to be done, and by whom, to effect the kind of societal changes that can promote a healthier population and reduce the number of cancer cases in the U.S.

That report, Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention offers recommendations to all levels of society — government, the food industry, schools, workplaces and more. That’s because our entire culture has contributed to the problem by creating an environment that promotes obesity, inactivity and nutrient-poor, calorie-rich diets, all of which make cancer more likely. Continue reading →