Cancer Prevention Blog

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

Plant foods: one of the things that can reduce cancer risk

A new study being covered in the media today has found that more than 130,000 cancers a year are linked to lifestyle and environmental factors.

The findings of this study by the well-respected Professor Max Parkin suggest that as well as tobacco, many cancer cases are linked to lifestyle factors such as obesity, alcohol and lack of fruits and vegetables.

The new study follows a … Continue Reading

Does how you cook red meat affect prostate cancer risk?

A new study has suggested that having a lot of well-done or grilled red meat may increase risk of aggressive prostate cancer.

It was covered in the media at the end of last week, and one of our scientists was quoted in the Daily Mail’s article about it.

So does this study mean that well-done meat really does increase risk of aggressive forms of prostate cancer?

The short answer is that, based on this study … Continue Reading

Taller people have a greater cancer risk

Some people may be surprised to see the news this morning that tall people are more likely to develop cancer.

Although the connection between height and cancer may seem an unlikely one, it is something that World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) reported in our 2007 Expert Report.

Our examination of all the studies concerning cancer and adult height found convincing evidence that there is a link between being tall and cancers of the bowel, … Continue Reading

Red meat: a cancer risk factor

World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) is sometimes accused of spreading the same message as interest groups championing vegetarianism or animal rights because of our advice to people to reduce their intake of red and processed meat.

On the face of it, this may seem to chime with the outlook of these groups but WCRF has come to this position through studying decades of scientific research on the cancer … Continue Reading

A new study was covered in the press yesterday that seems to suggest men who are overweight when they are 18 years old are significantly more likely to die from cancer.

This is an unusual study in that it followed people from early adulthood right the way through to the ends of their lives.

There is already a lot of research showing that excess body fat increases risk of a number of types of cancer. In fact, scientists now say that, after not smoking, maintaining a healthy weight is the most important thing you can do for cancer prevention.

But most … Continue Reading

WCRF UK's Annual Review was Highly Commended in the 2011 Science Communication Awards

It’s always nice to have your work recognised by your peers, so I was really pleased to attend last week’s Science Communication Awards.

The awards are held every two years and are organised by the Association of Medical Research Charities (AMRC).

Attending the event was a great chance to talk to people from other organisations about some of the work World Cancer Research Fund is doing.

The awards celebrate the best and most … Continue Reading

World Cancer Day

At World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) we are proud to be supporting World Cancer Day, which is organised by the Union for International Cancer Control (UICC).

This year, the focus is on the fact that cancer is a preventable disease and the UICC has announced our updated estimates on the proportion of cancers that can be prevented.

The overall finding is that many cases of cancer in the UK and … Continue Reading

Arthur Schatzkin

All of us at World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) are greatly saddened to hear of the passing of Arthur Schatzkin, MD, DrPH, a scientist who has been a valued friend to our network of charities over many years.

Arthur’s eloquent and passionate commitment to studying the role of nutrition in cancer development was, and remains, an inspiration.

He was internationally known for work that greatly expanded our knowledge in his field; he improved the methods we use to gather information and he produced data … Continue Reading

Alcohol: a bowel cancer risk factor

There is coverage in the media today about a new study in the British Medical Journal, the study suggests that people can reduce their risk of developing bowel cancer by 23% by making lifestyle changes.

Our response to the study is included in the Daily Mail article.

These are interesting findings and when you consider that about 38,000 cases of bowel cancer are diagnosed in the UK every year, they … Continue Reading