Cancer Prevention Blog

Health professionals could provide lifestyle advice

The government recently received a report calling for GPs, nurses and other health professionals to do more to help people make lifestyle changes such as being more physically active or eating a healthier diet.

In line with WCRF’s Policy Report recommendations, NHS Future Forum calls for the promotion of healthy living to be a core part of the day-to-day business of NHS staff in a policy dubbed ‘make every contact count’.

Millions of people come into contact with health professionals … Continue Reading

Fibre can protect against cancer

This week scientists funded by World Cancer Research Fund/American Institute for Cancer Research (WCRF/AICR) found that eating ten grams of fibre daily lowers women’s risk of breast cancer by five per cent.

And as the effect is cumulative, eating 20 grams would mean a ten per cent lower risk and so on.

The research – part of WCRF/AICR’s Continuous Update Project (CUP) – is one of the largest analyses of literature relating to breast cancer and fibre and was published in the Annals … Continue Reading

Breastfeeding is good for both mother and baby

New research from Cambridge University that babies fed on formula milk cry less than breastfed infants because they are effectively “comfort eating” may not surprise many mums.

Reaching for the bottle can be an easy, and understandable, short-term solution when your child won’t stop crying.

The Cambridge research, highlighted by the BBC and the Guardian among others, shows that breastfed babies cry more, laugh less, and generally have “more challenging temperaments” than their formula-fed contemporaries.

But as the scientist who led … Continue Reading

Choosing less energy dense food can reduce cancer risk

Last month World Cancer Research Fund commissioned a survey by YouGov to try to assess what people really know about the number of calories in the foods they eat on a regular basis.

Today these results were published in several national newspapers – the Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, Times, Metro and i – as well as featuring on Sky News, BBC London and Heart FM.

The poll was also reported by the Press Association … Continue Reading

WCRF UK attended the BACC in Westminster

Last week I attended the Britain Against Cancer Conference in London. For WCRF UK this was a really important event and was a key opportunity to highlight the role of food, nutrition and physical activity in cancer prevention.

Macmillan Cancer Support organised this conference on behalf of the All Party Parliamentary Group on Cancer, with the support of MPs and Members of the House of Lords. It was hugely successful in getting all the key cancer organisations, health professionals … Continue Reading

High blood pressure may be linked to brain cancer

Research funded by World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has featured on Sky News and in several national newspapers after a possible link between high-blood pressure and brain cancer was discovered.

Head of Education Kate Mendoza gave interviews for Sky and the study was the subject of stories in the Daily Mail and the London Evening Standard, among others.

Kate told Sky viewers how the research – by scientists in Austria, Sweden and Norway – reinforced the … Continue Reading

Candle of Hope Christmas appeal

Candle of Hope is World Cancer Research Fund’s Christmas appeal to help comfort those who have lost loved ones to cancer.

The festive season can be a particularly hard time for those who have lost family or friends. At this time of the year the sense of loss seems particularly acute and people who are touched by cancer in this way may need extra support.

We hope the campaign provides a degree of comfort on two levels. The Candle of Hope … Continue Reading

Plant foods: one of the things that can reduce cancer risk

A new study being covered in the media today has found that more than 130,000 cancers a year are linked to lifestyle and environmental factors.

The findings of this study by the well-respected Professor Max Parkin suggest that as well as tobacco, many cancer cases are linked to lifestyle factors such as obesity, alcohol and lack of fruits and vegetables.

The new study follows a … Continue Reading

Does how you cook red meat affect prostate cancer risk?

A new study has suggested that having a lot of well-done or grilled red meat may increase risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

It was covered in the media at the end of last week, and one of our scientists was quoted in the Daily Mail’s article about it.

So does this study mean that well-done meat really does increase risk of aggressive forms of prostate cancer?

The short answer is that, based on this study … Continue Reading

The worrying news that Britain tops the list for oesophageal cancer among our European neighbours was high on the news agenda today, with coverage in a number of daily newspapers.

The Daily Mail, Daily Express, Metro, Daily Mirror, Daily Telegraph and Guardian were among the papers to report on figures from WCRF showing how the UK compares unfavourably with other European nations, with 6.4 out of every 100,000 developing the disease every year – nearly double the European average of 3.3 per 100,000.

Our press release was also reported on by a number of influential regional … Continue Reading