Food, nutrition and the prevention of cancer: a global perspective

Abstract

This report was commissioned by the Executive Officers of the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) and the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR), written by a panel of international experts, and reviewed by over 100 additional experts. Their purpose was to bring a global perspective to the primary prevention of cancer, with clear emphasis on those aspects of food and nutrition most likely to reduce the risk of specific cancers, and the recognition of dietary factors likely to increase risk. The panel's charge was to 1) review the scientific and other expert literature linking foods, nutrition, food processing, dietary patterns, and related factors with the risk of human cancers worldwide; 2) devise a series of dietary and other recommendations suitable for all societies and designed to reduce the risk of human cancers; 3) evaluate the degree of consistency between such recommendations and those proposed for the prevention of coronary heart disease and other diseases; and 4) consider both the feasibility and the policy implications of the global implementation of these recommendations. The panel intended their report to serve as a catalyst for change.