Cancer Prevention Blog

Raising awareness: World Cancer Day 2012

Today is World Cancer Day and WCRF is happy to support the initiative and raise awareness around the world about cancer prevention.

This year we have been particularly busy helping our colleagues at the Union for International Cancer Control in promoting the target of cutting cancer and other non-communicable diseases like diabetes and heart and lung disease by 25 per cent by 2025.

Staff at our London office tried their hand at a bit of movie stardom – with a select few appearing … Continue Reading

Choosing less energy dense food can reduce cancer risk

Last month World Cancer Research Fund commissioned a survey by YouGov to try to assess what people really know about the number of calories in the foods they eat on a regular basis.

Today these results were published in several national newspapers – the Daily Express, Daily Mail, Daily Telegraph, Times, Metro and i – as well as featuring on Sky News, BBC London and Heart FM.

The poll was also reported by the Press Association … Continue Reading

High blood pressure may be linked to brain cancer

Research funded by World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) has featured on Sky News and in several national newspapers after a possible link between high-blood pressure and brain cancer was discovered.

Head of Education Kate Mendoza gave interviews for Sky and the study was the subject of stories in the Daily Mail and the London Evening Standard, among others.

Kate told Sky viewers how the research – by scientists in Austria, Sweden and Norway – reinforced the … Continue Reading

The worrying news that Britain tops the list for oesophageal cancer among our European neighbours was high on the news agenda today, with coverage in a number of daily newspapers.

The Daily Mail, Daily Express, Metro, Daily Mirror, Daily Telegraph and Guardian were among the papers to report on figures from WCRF showing how the UK compares unfavourably with other European nations, with 6.4 out of every 100,000 developing the disease every year – nearly double the European average of 3.3 per 100,000.

Our press release was also reported on by a number of influential regional … Continue Reading

Can walking prevent cancer?

Deciding to walk instead of taking public transport might be something people do to save money, but it could also be helping to prevent cancer.

This is because there is strong scientific evidence that being regularly physically active reduces risk of breast cancer, bowel cancer and cancer of the endometrium (womb lining), as well as helping to maintain a healthy weight, which is also important for cancer prevention.

Sometimes, people think that being regularly physically active … Continue Reading

Alcohol: a risk factor for both blood pressure and cancer

A new study has been published about blood pressure and cancer that suggests people who have a high blood pressure may be more likely to develop the disease.

As reported in the Daily Telegraph, the study of 600,000 people suggests those with the highest blood pressure were 49 per cent more likely to die of cancer over a 12-year … Continue Reading

Today WCRF has been addressing the strange situation in hospitals where vending machines packed with energy dense foods sit in the corridors used by patients suffering from heart disease, cancer and other diseases in which being overweight is a factor.

Dr Rachel Thompson, Deputy Head of Science at WCRF, wrote an article for BBC News’ online health column Scrubbing Up in which she pointed out how the machines packed with chocolate, crisps and sugary soft drinks are undermining the hard work of dedicated health workers.

This is because there is strong evidence that excessive body fat is a risk factor for … Continue Reading

Coffee: a cancer risk factor?

In his latest article for the Evening Standard, Dr Christian Jessen has looked at the link between coffee and cancer.

This is something that has attracted lots of often conflicting media coverage over the years and there have been various claims that have sometimes contradicted each other.

We have had articles claiming that coffee prevents breast cancer while others have suggested coffee is a cause of breast cancer.

It is no wonder … Continue Reading

Onions: do they make us happy?

There are reports in the media that onions are the number one food for happiness, with carrots, bananas, apples and oranges also in the top 10.

On the face of it, it is encouraging to hear these products are so popular because, together with other fruits, vegetables and foods containing fibre, there is strong evidence they reduce risk of cancer.

At World Cancer Research Fund, we recommend a … Continue Reading

WCRF’s press conference on the forthcoming UN Summit on Non-Communicable Diseases resulted in widespread coverage around the world. Reports of the event appeared in newspapers and on TV in at least 32 countries, from Chile to Norway, Japan to the Dominican Republic.

Calling on world leaders, including David Cameron, to attend the summit, the conference also heard how 2.8million cancer cases could be prevented every year and that there has been a 20 per cent rise in the number of global cancer cases in the past decade.

Our staff were interviewed by the BBC for Radio 4′s Today show, the World … Continue Reading