Cancer Prevention Blog

Fibre-rich foods can help reduce risk of developing bowel cancer

It can sometimes be difficult to know how seriously to take the findings of new research about which foods either cause or prevent cancer.

Is it just another small study whose findings will by contradicted by another study the following month? Or is the evidence strong enough for it to be worth changing your lifestyle as a result of it.

But with recent coverage of a study about the effect of foods containing fibre on bowel … Continue Reading

Exercise and cancer

We’re often asked about the link between exercise and cancer.

But we do not tend to use the term “exercise and cancer” in our publications. Instead, we talk about physical activity rather than exercise.

To some people, this might seem odd. In fact, when we use the term “physical activity” in press releases it is often changed to “exercise” in the resulting news article.

The Guardian’s coverage of our press release about how 10,000 breast and bowel cancer cases … Continue Reading

Is your weekend activity helping to reduce your cancer risk?

If you spent the bank holiday weekend gardening or doing DIY, you may not realise it but you were helping to reduce your cancer risk.

As well as helping to maintain a healthy weight, there is now strong evidence that physical activity itself can help to protect against a variety of cancers.

What counts as physical activity?

The key is to remember that anything that gets you moving will benefit your health. The more activity you … Continue Reading

Red meat: a cancer risk factor

World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) is sometimes accused of spreading the same message as interest groups championing vegetarianism or animal rights because of our advice to people to reduce their intake of red and processed meat.

On the face of it, this may seem to chime with the outlook of these groups but WCRF has come to this position through studying decades of scientific research on the cancer … Continue Reading

Fibre - how much is enough?

We are often told that eating a diet high in fibre will help to keep our digestive system healthy and protect us from some illnesses, including cancer. But how much is enough and how can we add more to our diet?

Studies have found that eating foods that contain fibre can lower our risk of bowel cancer, the third most common cancer in the UK. Fibre-rich foods also help to control blood sugar … Continue Reading

Regular cycling is not just good for the environment it’s also a great way of incorporating physical activity into your daily routine, which is important for cancer prevention.

Cycling, like other forms of physical activity, can help reduce the risk of cancer, including bowel cancer, breast cancer and cancer of the endometrium (womb lining).

We recommend at least 30 minutes of physical activity a day for cancer prevention. As fitness levels rise, this can be increased to further reduce cancer risk.  Being active can also help … Continue Reading

Today we have published the most authoratative ever report on how diet, physical activity and weight affect bowel cancer risk as part of our Continuous Update Project.

Our press release focused on the findings that there is convincing evidence that red and processed meat increase bowel cancer risk and that foods containing fibre reduce risk of the disease.

The report has been covered widely in the media today and most coverage has focused on the link between bowel cancer and meat. Here is a brief summary of some of the articles:

Daily Telegraph: Red meat ‘raises bowel cancer … Continue Reading

WCRF UK's booklet offers helpful advice for cancer survivors

April is Bowel Cancer Awareness Month and last weekend our education team was invited to have an information stand at Beating Bowel Cancer‘s ‘Beyond Bowel Cancer’ event.

We were really pleased to be invited as we are admirers of the important work that Beating Bowel Cancer does.

The event was billed as a day of support, sharing and learning for bowel cancer patients and their friends and family.

Bowel cancer is the third … Continue Reading