Cancer Prevention Blog

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

physical activity and cancer risk

Following last week’s coverage for our press release about how many cases of breast and bowel cancer could be prevented through physical activity, Sky News has put their coverage online.

It includes a short excerpt from an interview I did with Sky News in my garden on Monday.

It’s the second time in a month Sky News viewers have had the chance to look at my garden.

I also did an interview with Sky … Continue Reading

Just a quick update on Adrian Kane’s marathon car push – the story is now being covered by the BBC website.

Congratulations again to Adrian for his achievement!

Adrian and the Mercedes Smart Car
I never stop being amazed by the creativity of our supporters.

Just when you think you’ve seen every type of fundraising event, you can guarantee someone will come up with some wacky new idea.

And that latest someone is Adrian Kane, who will be pushing a Mercedes Smart car for 26.2 miles – an entire marathon! – on July 31 in a bid to raise £40,000 for us and the … Continue Reading

Healthy lunches

There is an interesting article on the BBC website about how parents want more advice on how to prepare healthy school lunches.

At World Cancer Research Fund we have a page on our website with suggestions for how to make a healthy school lunchbox.

Also, last year we issued a press release urging parents not to put ham in their children’s lunchboxes, which was covered by the BBC, among others. According to a Food Standards Agency survey from … Continue Reading

We’ve issued a press release today about a study we funded, which found that people with high levels of B-vitamins in their blood may be at reduced risk of lung cancer .

The story was covered by the BBC website, as well as a several other websites.

The study found that people with above average levels of Vitamin B6 and methionine –a related nutrient – are half as likely to develop the disease. The results were similar for smokers, non-smokers and ex-smokers. However, more research is needed before scientists can be confident that increasing levels of B-vitamins in … Continue Reading

A new study being reported on the BBC has suggested 97 per cent of people in Scotland have at least one of five unhealthy habits – smoking, drinking, poor diet, physical inactivity and obesity.

This is a concern because there is very strong evidence that all these things increase risk of cancer.

And worryingly, the lead researcher has suggested that because people tend to put a positive spin on their lifestyles, the real picture may be even worse.

You … Continue Reading

World Cup: some healthy ideas

Hopefully, our guide to hosting a healthy World Cup party will have given people some useful ideas for food they can serve that is healthy but does not compromise on taste.

And it is not just us using the World Cup to get across health messages.

The NHS Choices website, for example, has launched a Football Fan Fitness Challenge. Hopefully, the fact that this has been covered by the BBC means some … Continue Reading