American Cancer Society releases new dietary guidelines to reduce cancer risk

By Regence
July 24, 2020
healthy diet fruits and vegetables

Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the U.S., exceeded only by heart disease. As this disease impacts millions of Americans each year, the American Cancer Society plays a critical role in cancer research and advocacy.

Last month, the American Cancer Society published a new set of dietary guidelines to reduce the risk of cancer, updated for the first time since 2012. While many of the ACS’s recommendations remain the same, such as maintaining a healthy body weight and limiting the intake of alcohol, the guidelines are important to keep in mind for lowering cancer risks.

The latest guidelines include:

  • Maintain a healthy body weight. If you’re overweight or obese, losing even a few pounds can lower your risk for some types of cancer.
  • Eat a colorful diet. The ACS recommends eating a colorful variety of vegetables and fruits, along with plenty of whole grains and brown rice. Rather than specifying amounts of certain foods and nutrients, the ACS guidelines now suggest what it calls “a healthy eating pattern.”
  • Limit alcohol consumption. New this year, the ACS recommends not to drink alcohol. While social drinking is becoming more common in these unprecedented times, it’s best to plan for no more than one drink per day for women and two for men.
  • Work in exercise to your daily routine. Adults should get 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity per week, or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity. Children and teens should get at least 1 hour of moderate or vigorous-intensity activity each day.

Recently, Regence’s Senior Executive Medical Director Dr. Drew Oliveira spoke with Q13 FOX’s Ali Bradley about these new guidelines and what we should all be doing to improve our health and reduce our risk of cancer. Watch the full interview below.

 

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