Guidelines to Prevent Cancer among Older Women

Regular exercise and balanced diet reduce cancer risks and mortality among post-menopausal women, according to a study.

 A team of researchers created scores to measure the incidence of cancer and mortality among women who followed the Nutrition and Physical Activity Cancer Prevention guidelines of the American Cancer Society. The Cancer society's rules include four-behavior associated measures like weight management, consumption of nutritious diet, regular physical activities and alcohol intake.

The study used data of 65,838 post menopausal women some of whom complied with ACS's guidelines for nearly 12 years. The researchers determined their risk scores on a scale of 0 to8  based on their diet, physical activities, current and past body mass index along with alcohol consumption.

It was found that women who closely followed the guidelines had 17 percent reduced in risk of any type of cancer, 22 percent lower risk of breast cancer and a 52 percent reduction in colorectal cancer risks.

The all-cause and cancer-specific mortality of these women was reduced by 27 and 20 percent, respectively.

Cynthia Thomas, professor of public health at the University of Arizona said in a news release, "The message is simple and clear: If you want to reduce your risk for cancer, even later in life, eat a healthy diet, be active daily, avoid or limit alcohol, and don't smoke."

The researchers noted that extra body weight was linked to increase in risk of cancers in the breast, colon, rectum, inner lining of the uterus, kidney and pancreas.  Hence, they urge women to stay lean and aim for body mass index scores between 18.5 and 24.9.  A plant, fruit, nut, fish and whole grain diet combined with physical activities for at least 30 minutes daily will help balance energy throughout the day and burn calories, they suggest. The guidelines also recommend women to indulge in moderate intensity exercises like brisk walking, jogging and cycling.  Excess calories create hormonal imbalances and metabolic changes, which in turn cause cancer among menopausal women.

The results also revealed lower cancer incidence and mortality rates among Asians, African- Americans and Hispanic women when compared to non-Hispanic Americans due to varied environmental exposure.

 Dr Thomas said, "Our results support the ACS guidelines for cancer prevention. Certainly, efforts to identify complementary factors that can reduce risk further should be supported as well, because diet and activity alone do not account for the majority of risk."