Many studies have been performed looking into the lifestyle behaviors that can have an effect on the risk of developing and dying from cancer. Lifestyle behaviors such as poor diet, physical inactivity, excessive alcohol and an unhealthy increase in body weight can account for over 20% of cancer cases.
The World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research presented guidelines for cancer prevention. These guidelines include the maintenance of healthy body weight, being physically active, maintaining a healthy diet with lots of plant-based foods and limiting alcohol consumption.
A systematic review was performed by to determine if there was a relationship between adherence to these guidelines and one’s risk of developing cancer (Kohler et al., 2016). This review discovered that a high tolerance to the above-stated guidelines resulted in a lower risk of developing or dying to cancer when compared to those who had a low adherence. Specifically, studies reviewed showed a decrease between 10-61% decrease in colorectal, breast and endometrial cancers.