By IANS
New York : If you want to avoid cancer risk, avoid weight gain, says a report that shows the higher your levels of body fat the higher your chances of developing cancer.
The report published by the 0World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) included contributions from 21 of the world’s most renowned scientists and has 10 key recommendations.
One of them is to keep the Body Mass Index (BMI) within 20-25 range, to minimize cancer risk.
The higher the levels of body fat, the higher your chances of developing cancer, especially colorectal cancer (in which cancer cells are found in the colon or rectum), post-menopausal breast cancer, and four others, reported the health portal Medical News Today.
“We are recommending people to be as lean as possible within the healthy range, and that they should avoid weight gain throughout adulthood,” Michael Marmot, said.
“This might sound difficult, but this is what science is telling us more clearly than ever before. The fact is, putting on weight can increase your cancer risk, even if you are within the healthy range,” he said.
The panel also advised people to consume processed meat “sparingly”. Processed meat includes bacon and ham. They said there is compelling evidence that red meat if consumed more than 500 gm per week, raises the risk of developing colorectal cancer.
The report said breastfeeding during the first six months protects the mother from breast cancer and the baby from becoming obese later on.
Consumption of alcohol also increases cancer risk. Dietary supplements should not be used for cancer prevention.