The research on the lifestyle and habits of 380,000 people gave scientists an insight as to whether the location, diet or health choices of the individual impacted on their mortality rate. By using a lifestyle guide issued by the WCRF, it was found that these individuals reduced their likelihood of an unpredicted death by up to a third.
The WCRF cancer prevention advice includes: being as slim as possible without being underweight; being physically active for at least 30 minutes a day; limiting consumption of surgery drinks, salty foods, processed foods and red meat; eating plenty of vegetables, fruits and pulses; not smoking and limiting alcoholic drinks to two a day for men, and one for women.
The greatest impact on reducing the risk of death were being as lean as possible without becoming underweight (22 per cent reduced risk) and eating lots of vegetables, fruits and pulses (21 per cent). In terms of cancer, limiting alcohol had the greatest effect, reducing the chance of death from cancer by 21 per cent.
The guide also includes the advice for new mothers to breastfeed their babies for at least six months.
The research, which involved people from nine different countries, reported that those which followed the advice had a fifty percent reduced chance of dying from a respiratory disorder, whilst others had a forty-four percent less change of dying from coronary attacks. Furthermore, there was a 20 percent less risk of cancer, all of which was due to following the suggestions in the cancer prevention advice.
Dr Panagiota Mitrou, the deputy head of science at WCRF, said: “This study demonstrates in real terms the value of the WCRF/AICR recommendations in preventing deaths from a range of common diseases, not just cancer.”
With babies being prematurely weaned up to three months, the research suggests that the mother’s risk of cancer can be reduced by an extra three. The baby has all the time – the question is, does the mother?