Hostname: page-component-8448b6f56d-c4f8m Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-04-19T11:42:57.781Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false
  • English
  • Français

Diet, physical activity and cancer risk

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  02 January 2007

Michael J Hill
Michael J Hill
Affiliation:
Chairman, European Cancer Prevention Organization, Lady Sobell Gastrointestinal Unit, Wexham Park Hospital, SL2 4HL, Slough, UK
Rights & Permissions [Opens in a new window]

Abstract

Core share and HTML view are not available for this content. However, as you have access to this content, a full PDF is available via the ‘Save PDF’ action button.

There is a clear and consistent association between overweight and risk of hormone-related cancers, large bowel cancer and cancer at some other sites. Overweight is the consequence of an excess of energy intake over expenditure, but there is little evidence of an association between high energy intake and cancer risk in humans at any site other than the endometrium. This may be because of the difficulties in measuring total energy intake in the tens of thousands of individuals used in large prospective epidemiological studies. In contrast, despite the difficulties in measuring physical activity in the large numbers of persons needed in epidemiology, there is a growing body of evidence that a high level of recreational physical activity is protective against cancer at all sites associated with overweight.

Keywords

DietOverweightEnergy balancePhysical exerciseRecreational exerciseOccupational exerciseCancer riskBreast cancerColorectal cancerProstate cancerEndometrial cancer
Type
Research Article
Information
Public Health Nutrition , Volume 2 , Supplement 3a , March 1999 , pp. 397 - 401
Copyright
Copyright © CABI Publishing 1999

References

1Hill, MJ. Diet and cancer. A review of the scientific evidence. Eur. J. Cancer Prev. 1995; 4 (suppl 2): 3–42.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
2Lew, EA, Garfinkel, L. Variations in mortality by weight among 750000 men and women. J. Chronic Diseases 1979; 32: 563–76.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
3La Vecchia, C, Negri, E. Public education on diet and cancer. In: Benito, E, Giacosa, A, Hill, MJ, eds. Public education on diet and cancer. Kluwer, Dordrecht; 1992; 91–100.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
4Moller, H, Mellemgaard, A, Ludvig, K, Olsen, JH. Obesity and cancer risk: a Danish record linkage study. Eur. J. Cancer 1994; 30A: 344–550.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
5Astrup, A. Macronutrient balances and obesity: the role of diet and physical activity. Public Health Nutrition 1999; (accepted for publication).CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
6 Department of Health. RHSS 48: Nutritional aspects of the development of cancer. The Stationary Office, London, 1998.Google Scholar
7Franceschi, S, Favero, A, La Vecchia, C, et al. Intake of macronutrients and risk of breast cancer. Lancet 1996; 347: 1351–6.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
8Franceschi, S, Favero, A, La Vecchia, C, et al. Food groups and risk of colorectal cancer in Italy. Int. J. Cancer 1997; 72: 56–61.3.0.CO;2-3>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
9De Waard, F. Preventive intervention in breast cancer—but when? Eur. J. Cancer Prev. 1992; 1: 395–9.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
10Tannenbaum, A. The dependence of tumour formation on the degree of caloric restriction. Cancer Res. 1945; 5: 609–15.Google Scholar
11Tucker, MJ. The effect of long term food restriction on tumours in animals. Int. J. Cancer 1979; 23: 803–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
12Klurfeld, D, Weber, MM, Kritchevsky, D. Calories and chemical carcinogenesis. In: Vahouny, G, Kritchevsky, D, eds. Dietary fiber: Basic and clinical aspects. Plenum, New York 1986; 441–7.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
13Hill, MJ. Experimental studies of fat, fibre and calories in carcinogenesis. In: Miller, AB, ed. Diet and the aetiology of cancer. Springer Verlag, Heidelberg. 1989; 31–8.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
14Rose, G. (1969) Physical activity and coronary heart disease. Proc. Roy. Soc. Med. 62: 1183–8.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
15Thune, I, Brenn, T, Lund, E, Gaard, M. Physical activity and risk of breast cancer. New Eng. J. Med. 1997; 336: 1269–75.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
16Thune, I, Lund, E. Physical activity and risk of colorectal cancer in men and women. Br. J. Cancer 1996; 73: 1134–40.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
17Thune, I, Lund, E. Physical activity and risk of prostate and testicular cancer; a cohort study of 53000 Norwegian men. Cancer Causes Control 1994; 5: 549–56.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
18Moore, MA, Park, CB, Tsuda, H. Physical exercise: A pillar for prevention? Eur. J. Cancer Prev. 1998; 7: 177–93.CrossRefGoogle Scholar