This month the American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) released results of the 2015 Cancer Risk Awareness Survey. The survey has been run periodically for the past 14 years. In a nutshell, it asks people to identify factors that they believe have a significant effect on whether or not the average person develops cancer.
The results of the survey showed that we tend to zero in on factors we don’t have much control over… like the genes we’re born with, food additives, pesticide residues and so forth. And we end up missing the ones that we have the power to keep in check.
For example:
1. Fewer than half of Americans (42 percent) are aware that diets low in vegetables and fruit increase cancer risk. Consistent evidence links diets high in vegetables, fruits and other plant foods to a reduced risk for many cancers, including those of the colon, stomach and mouth.
2. Only 43 percent of know that alcohol adds to the risk of cancer. Alcohol is a cause of many cancers, including those of the breast, esophagus and mouth.
3. About 1 in 3 of us (35 percent) realize that diets high in red meat have been convincingly linked to colon cancer.
4. Just over half of Americans (52 percent) recognize that being obese or overweight can impact their chances of cancer.
5. And about 42 percent are aware that being inactive increases cancer risk.
“Instead of focusing on factors that you can’t always control,” said AICR’s Associate Director of Nutrition Programs Alice Bender, MS, RDN, “we want Americans to learn more about the factors that you can and do control, every day.”
“Thousands of studies have been analyzed by AICR in our Continuous Update Project reports—the largest ongoing analysis of cancer prevention research in the world,” adds
Bender. “These studies show that a healthy diet, regular activity and healthy weight could cut cancer incidence by one-third.”
SOURCE: New Survey: U.S. Beliefs About Cancer Risk Put Fear Before Facts. News Release. American Institute for Cancer Research. Feb 2015.
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