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Post-menopausal women who follow recommended dietary and lifestyle guidelines spelled out in a recent study may reduce their risk of developing and dying from cancer. Those who follow these guidelines the most also enjoyed the best outcomes. However, women who followed one or none of the nine recommended guidelines for diet and lifestyle had a 35 percent higher risk of developing cancer and a 42 percent greater risk of dying from cancer than women who adhered to at least six of the recommendations considered for the study.
The study collected data from some 30,000 women, aged 55 to 69, who were followed over a 13-year period to determine the impact of dietary lifestyle factors on the incidence and death rate from cancer.
About a third of all women in the U.S. will develop cancer during their lifetime. During 2003 alone, more than 650,000 women were diagnosed with cancer, not including non-melanoma skin cancers. Cancer was the second leading cause of death in women during 2000, and the leading cause of death among women between ages 40 and 79.
Research suggests that older women may be able to have a fairly large impact on their cancer risk by not smoking, controlling body weight, exercising and eating a healthy, balanced diet. For some suggestions about improving your health, you may want to consider my nutrition plan.
Science Daily July 7, 2004