Cancer Society's New Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines

[Kuester, Sarah]

Please pardon the cross-posting.

Hello.  Below is the press release by the American Cancer Society about
their revised nutrition and physical activity guidelines.  The guidelines
are published in the March/April issue of their journal "CA: A Cancer
Journal for Clinicians."  This journal appears to allow full-text
downloading of articles.  Please see the website
http://www.freemedicaljournals.com/ and search for the journal by title
using the lefthand menu option C-H.  Follow the prompts until you reach the
March/April issue.

Byers T, Nestle M, McTeirnan A, et al. American Cancer Society Guidelines on
Nutrition and Physical Activity for Cancer Prevention: Reducing the Risk of
Cancer with Healthy Food Choices and Physical Activity. CA Cancer J Clin
2002;52:92-119.

Thank you,
Sarah Kuester
sak2 at cdc.gov
------------------------------------------------------------------------
American Cancer Society

FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT:						
Shawn Steward
Corporate Communications
American Cancer Society
Phone: (404) 417-5850
Email: shawn.steward at cancer.org

American Cancer Society Releases
New Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines;

Recommendations Urge More Physical Activity, Community Action

	ATLANTA - February 28, 2002 - The American Cancer Society, the
nation’s largest voluntary health organization, announced today the release
of its new Nutrition and Physical Activity Guidelines for Cancer Prevention.
The new guidelines place more emphasis on the importance of physical
activity for both youth and adults, and provide a first-time recommendation
for communities to play a role in improving the health of their residents. 

	“People planning to make changes in their diet and looking to adopt
a healthier lifestyle should be sure to also include a strong commitment to
regular physical activity,” said Tim Byers, MD, MPH, professor, Preventive
Medicine at the University of Colorado Health Science Center and national
volunteer for the American Cancer Society. “These healthier behaviors are
made easier if governments, worksites, schools and neighborhoods help
facilitate them and provide access to the resources people need.”

	According to the Society, nearly one-third of the more than 500,000
annual U.S. cancer deaths are attributable to diet and physical activity
habits. The Society‘s newest guidelines, similar to earlier versions, stress
adopting a diet with a wide variety of healthy foods that are primarily
plant-based.  They advise eating five or more daily servings of vegetables
and fruits and recommend eating whole grains over refined grains for more
nutrients and fiber. In addition, based on evidence that cancer risk is
influenced by the type of fat consumed, rather than simply the total amount,
the guidelines recommend limiting the intake of foods high in saturated fat.
The new guidelines also urge people to limit their consumption of alcohol if
they drink at all, and to lose weight if overweight or obese. 

	“Maintaining a healthy weight is important to reduce cancer risk.
The most healthful way for people to do this is to make healthy dietary
choices and to increase their level of physical activity,” said Byers.
Physical activity affects cancer risk indirectly, through its role in
helping to prevent overweight and obesity, and also plays a more direct
role.  For example, with colon cancer, physical activity accelerates the
movement of food through the digestive system, which reduces the time that
the lining of the bowel is exposed to potentially cancer-causing substances.
Physical activity’s likely role in breast cancer risk reduction is that it
decreases the amount of exposure of breast tissue to circulating estrogen.

	“Based on this evidence, we encourage people to be active for at
least thirty minutes on five or more days of the week,” Byers  said. “And
children and teens need to be active at least an hour every day.”

	New to this edition of the Society’s guidelines are recommendations
for changes in communities, workplaces and schools to ensure that Americans
have opportunities to be physically active and eat healthfully.  

	“Physical education in schools, zoning and urban planning to provide
and promote activity, worksite policies and programs that support activity
are examples of issues that are critical if people are going to be
successful in changing their lifestyles for the better over the long-term,”
said Colleen Doyle, MS, RD, director of nutrition and physical activity for
the American Cancer Society.

	Every five years, the Society works with experts in the fields of
nutrition, physical activity and cancer prevention to review current
scientific evidence and develop recommendations that reflect the best of
what is known about the relationship between diet, activity and cancer risk.

	For information about the guidelines, and to obtain a copy of
“Living Smart,” the American Cancer Society’s guide to eating healthy and
being active, call toll-free 1-800-ACS-2345 or visit the American Cancer
Society website at www.cancer.org.

	The American Cancer Society is the nationwide community-based
voluntary health organization dedicated to eliminating cancer as a major
health problem by preventing cancer, saving lives and diminishing suffering
from cancer, through research, education, advocacy and service.	
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