Diet and cancer prevention

Abstract

Increasing dietary fiber and decreasing the percentage of calories from fat, while eating a variety of foods, offers the best hope of reducing the incidence of colon, breast, and perhaps other cancers. The current position of cancer prevention research is in some ways analogous to that of treatment in the early 1950s. The research challenge in treatment looked formidable at that time, but a research process was developed and substantial advances have been made in treatment. Likewise, research of diet and prevention is in an early stage; nevertheless, because of the research leads, the research community is optimistic about making advances in the near future that will further clarify the role of diet in the initiation or promotion of cancer. The hope is that clinicians will be interested in the progress of cancer prevention, just as they were interested earlier in treatment trials, and will take an active role in educating and motivating their patients to reduce their risk for cancer through dietary modifications.