Diet and Cancer Prevention – Tufts

According to the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), 20 percent of all cancers diagnosed in the U.S. are related to poor dietary choices and lack of exercise. So what should we eat, and what should we avoid? News outlets and the internet are full of (sometimes conflicting) reports claiming links between specific foods or nutrients and cancer. Many of these claims are based on a limited number of studies. But when researchers analyze all of the research on cancer and nutrition together, it becomes clear that increasing intake of individual foods or popping dietary supplements doesn’t work. Overall dietary pattern, however, can make an important and significant difference.

Diet and Cancer: “There is a clear link between diet and cancer,” says Jerold Mande, MPH, who worked on cancer policy for two Presidential administrations and the Yale Cancer Center before joining Tufts’ faculty. “In fact, trend lines indicate that dietary issues could surpass cigarette smoking as the greatest cancer-causing threat.”