World Cancer Research Fund UK

Last updated
World Cancer Research Fund UK
Formation1990;34 years ago (1990)
Type Charitable organization
Focus Cancer prevention, diet and cancer
Headquarters United Kingdom
Website www.wcrf-uk.org

World Cancer Research Fund UK (WCRF UK) is a cancer prevention charity in the United Kingdom that is part of the World Cancer Research Fund International network.

Contents

WCRF UK funds scientific research into how diet, physical activity and weight affect cancer risk and also funds health information programmes to raise awareness so people can reduce their cancer risk by eating a healthy diet, being physically active and maintaining a healthy weight.

History

WCRF UK is a cancer prevention charity that was founded in 1990. [1] WCFT UK is an active member of the World Cancer Research Fund International network. [2] [3] WCRF UK creates awareness of the relationship between diet, physical activity, weight and cancer risk. [4] It focuses on funding research into diet and cancer prevention and to consolidate and interpret global research to create practical messages on reducing risk of cancer. The World Cancer Research Fund International (global network) has published several expert reports with research from WCRF UK. [5]

The first expert report, Food, Nutrition and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global perspective was published in 1997 and examined all the available evidence on the links between cancer and diet. In November 2007, the WCRF global network published Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective . Also known as the Second Expert Report. Following an initial sweep of half a million research studies eventually, 7,000 were deemed relevant and met the quality criteria for definitive conclusions to be drawn about cancer prevention. A panel of 21 experts then made 10 recommendations for reducing cancer risk. [6]

The launch of the Second Expert Report was a big news story in the UK. The report was described by the New Scientist magazine as a “landmark in our understanding of diet and cancer” while The Economist said: “It is the most rigorous study so far on the links between food, physical activity and cancer”. [7] Project Director of the report Professor Martin Wiseman said: “Our recommendations are based on the best science available. They are recommendations, not commandments. The whole point of them is to give people the information they need to make their everyday choices informed ones.” [8]

In February 2009, the WCRF global network published Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention, a companion document to the Second Expert Report. [9] It included 48 recommendations for changes that different groups in society can make to help prevent cancer. It also included a preventability study that estimated that a third of the most common cancers in the UK could be prevented through diet, physical activity and weight management. [10]

In 2018, the World Cancer Research Fund International published its Third Expert Report which concluded that diet, nutrition, obesity and low physical activity are modifiable risk factors for cancer. [5] [11] The report was published on the behalf of WCRF UK, WCRF Netherlands and the American Institute for Cancer Research. [12]

WCRF UK is registered with the Charity Commission for England and Wales and around 95% of their funding comes from the UK public. [4]

Research

WCRF UK spends about £6.2 million per year on scientific research, health policy and education programmes. [13]

WCRF International manages and administers the research programme on behalf of WCRF UK. UK researchers can apply for Investigator Initiated grants for a maximum of £250,000 for up to four years or for Seed grants for a maximum of £60,000 for two years.

WCRF UK also works with Imperial College London on its Continuous Update Project. [14] This is a process designed to keep the evidence on diet and cancer current as new evidence emerges.

Health Information programmes

WCRF UK's Great Grub Club programme is aimed at four to seven-year-olds and their parents. According to its website, its aim is to encourage healthy eating and an active lifestyle in a fun and informative way. [15]

WCRF UK produces publications that aim to translate scientific research into language that is easy to understand, providing information about the links between lifestyle and cancer and advice on how to make healthy changes. [16]

A newsletter for supporters is published four times a year that includes information about scientific findings and gives practical advice about making healthy lifestyle changes.

WCRF UK provides information for health professionals to help them educate their patients. This includes publishing Informed, a newsletter aimed at health professionals. [17] There is also a specific section for health professionals on the WCRF UK website. [18]

See also

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Dairy product</span> Food product made from milk

Dairy products or milk products, also known as lacticinia, are food products made from milk. The most common dairy animals are cow, water buffalo, nanny goat, and ewe. Dairy products include common grocery store food around the world such as yogurt, cheese, milk and butter. A facility that produces dairy products is a dairy. Dairy products are consumed worldwide to varying degrees. Some people avoid some or all dairy products because of lactose intolerance, veganism, environmental concerns, other health reasons or beliefs.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Obesity</span> Medical condition in which excess body fat harms health

Obesity is a medical condition, sometimes considered a disease, in which excess body fat has accumulated to such an extent that it can potentially have negative effects on health. People are classified as obese when their body mass index (BMI)—a person's weight divided by the square of the person's height—is over 30 kg/m2; the range 25–30 kg/m2 is defined as overweight. Some East Asian countries use lower values to calculate obesity. Obesity is a major cause of disability and is correlated with various diseases and conditions, particularly cardiovascular diseases, type 2 diabetes, obstructive sleep apnea, certain types of cancer, and osteoarthritis.

Health has a variety of definitions, which have been used for different purposes over time. Health can be promoted by encouraging healthful activities, such as regular physical exercise and adequate sleep, and by reducing or avoiding unhealthful activities or situations, such as smoking or excessive stress. Some factors affecting health are due to individual choices, such as whether to engage in a high-risk behavior, while others are due to structural causes, such as whether the society is arranged in a way that makes it easier or harder for people to get necessary healthcare services. Still, other factors are beyond both individual and group choices, such as genetic disorders.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Physical fitness</span> State of health and well-being

Physical fitness is a state of health and well-being and, more specifically, the ability to perform aspects of sports, occupations, and daily activities. Physical fitness is generally achieved through proper nutrition, moderate-vigorous physical exercise, and sufficient rest along with a formal recovery plan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mediterranean diet</span> Diet inspired by the Mediterranean region

The Mediterranean diet is a diet inspired by the eating habits and traditional food typical of southern Spain, southern Italy, and Crete, and formulated in the early 1960s. It is distinct from Mediterranean cuisine, which covers the actual cuisines of the Mediterranean countries, and from the Atlantic diet of northwestern Spain and Portugal. While inspired by a specific time and place, the "Mediterranean diet" was later refined based on the results of multiple scientific studies.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">American Cancer Society</span> Nonprofit organization

The American Cancer Society (ACS) is a nationwide non-profit organization dedicated to eliminating cancer. Established in 1913, the society is organized into six geographical regions of both medical and lay volunteers operating in more than 250 Regional offices throughout the United States. Its global headquarters is located in the American Cancer Society Center in Atlanta, Georgia. The ACS publishes the journals Cancer, CA: A Cancer Journal for Clinicians and Cancer Cytopathology.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Plant-based diet</span> Diet consisting mostly or entirely of plant-based foods

A plant-based diet is a diet consisting mostly or entirely of plant-based foods. Plant-based diets encompass a wide range of dietary patterns that contain low amounts of animal products and high amounts of fiber-rich plant products such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes, nuts and seeds. They do not need to be vegan or vegetarian, but are defined in terms of low frequency of animal food consumption.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preventive healthcare</span> Prevention of the occurrence of diseases

Preventive healthcare, or prophylaxis, is the application of healthcare measures to prevent diseases. Disease and disability are affected by environmental factors, genetic predisposition, disease agents, and lifestyle choices, and are dynamic processes that begin before individuals realize they are affected. Disease prevention relies on anticipatory actions that can be categorized as primal, primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Healthy diet</span> Type of diet

A healthy diet is a diet that maintains or improves overall health. A healthy diet provides the body with essential nutrition: fluid, macronutrients such as protein, micronutrients such as vitamins, and adequate fibre and food energy.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Red meat</span> Meat which is red when raw, with high myoglobin content

In gastronomy, red meat is commonly red when raw, in contrast to white meat, which is pale in color before cooking. In culinary terms, only flesh from mammals or fowl is classified as red or white. In nutritional science, red meat is defined as any meat that has more of the protein myoglobin than white meat. White meat is defined as non-dark meat from fish or chicken.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Diet and cancer</span> Connections between dietary habits and cancer

Dietary factors are recognized as having a significant effect on the risk of cancers, with different dietary elements both increasing and reducing risk. Diet and obesity may be related to up to 30–35% of cancer deaths, while physical inactivity appears to be related to 7% risk of cancer occurrence.

Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective, also known as the Expert Report, was an expert report published by the World Cancer Research Fund global network in 2007. It reviewed all the evidence about the links between cancer and diet, physical activity and body fat and contains 10 recommendations for reducing cancer risk.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Cancer Council Australia</span> Australian nonprofit organisation

Cancer Council Australia is a national, nonprofit organisation which aims to promote cancer-control policies and to reduce the illness caused by cancer in Australia. It advises various groups, including the government, on cancer-related issues, acts as an advocate for cancer patients and their friends, and is a major funding contributor towards health research, prevention and education.

Prevention of type 2 diabetes can be achieved with both lifestyle changes and use of medication. The American Diabetes Association categorizes people with prediabetes, who have glycemic levels higher than normal but do not meet criteria for diabetes, as a high-risk group. Without intervention, people with prediabetes progress to type 2 diabetes with a 5% to 10% rate. Diabetes prevention is achieved through weight loss and increased physical activity, which can reduce the risk of diabetes by 50% to 60%.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Health effects of salt</span> Conditions associated with the consumption of either too much or too little salt

The health effects of salt are the conditions associated with the consumption of either too much or too little salt. Salt is a mineral composed primarily of sodium chloride (NaCl) and is used in food for both preservation and flavor. Sodium ions are needed in small quantities by most living things, as are chloride ions. Salt is involved in regulating the water content of the body. The sodium ion itself is used for electrical signaling in the nervous system.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">FOOD Programme</span> European health project

FOOD started in 2009 in six countries as a European project co-funded by the European Commission and gathering public and private partners to promote balanced nutrition. Since 2012, it has become an independent programme existing in 10 countries: Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Romania, Slovakia and Sweden.

Cancer prevention is the practice of taking active measures to decrease the incidence of cancer and mortality. The practice of prevention is dependent upon both individual efforts to improve lifestyle and seek preventive screening, and socioeconomic or public policy related to cancer prevention. Globalized cancer prevention is regarded as a critical objective due to its applicability to large populations, reducing long term effects of cancer by promoting proactive health practices and behaviors, and its perceived cost-effectiveness and viability for all socioeconomic classes.

Mary Story is Professor of Global Health and Community and Family Medicine, and director of Education and Training, Duke Global Health Institute at Duke University. Dr. Story is a leading scholar on child and adolescent nutrition and child obesity prevention.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Preventive nutrition</span> Branch of nutrition science

Preventive Nutrition is a branch of nutrition science with the goal of preventing, delaying, and/or reducing the impacts of disease and disease-related complications. It is concerned with a high level of personal well-being, disease prevention, and diagnosis of recurring health problems or symptoms of discomfort which are often precursors to health issues. The overweight and obese population numbers have increased over the last 40 years and numerous chronic diseases are associated with obesity. Preventive nutrition may assist in prolonging the onset of non-communicable diseases and may allow adults to experience more "healthy living years." There are various ways of educating the public about preventive nutrition. Information regarding preventive nutrition is often communicated through public health forums, government programs and policies, or nutritional education. For example, in the United States, preventive nutrition is taught to the public through the use of the food pyramid or MyPlate initiatives.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Protein Power</span> Commercial diet strategy

Protein Power is a high-protein, low carbohydrate fad diet developed by physician Michael R. Eades and his wife Mary Dan Eades.

References

  1. "World Cancer Research Fund". britishmuseum.org.
  2. "Annual Reviews". wcrf-uk.org.
  3. "Our Network". wcrf.org.
  4. 1 2 "Who We Are". wcrf-uk.org.
  5. 1 2 "Diet, Nutrition, Physical Activity and Cancer: A Global Perspective. A Summary of the Third Expert Report". wcrf.org.
  6. BBC article on the report
  7. The Economist: How to Prevent Cancers
  8. The Independent: Cancer and the bacon sarnie
  9. Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention
  10. BBC article about Policy and Action for Cancer Prevention
  11. Papadimitriou N, Markozannes G, Kanellopoulou A, Critselis E, Alhardan S, Karafousia V, Kasimis JC, Katsaraki C, Papadopoulou A, Zografou M, Lopez DS, Chan DS, Kyrgiou M, Ntzani E, Cross AJ, Marrone MT, Platz EA, Gunter MJ, Tsilidis KK (2021). "An umbrella review of the evidence associating diet and cancer risk at 11 anatomical sites". Nature Communications. 12 (1): 4579. Bibcode:2021NatCo..12.4579P. doi:10.1038/s41467-021-24861-8. PMC   8319326 . PMID   34321471.
  12. "Resources and toolkits". wcrf.org.
  13. WCRF website
  14. "Our Continuous Update Project". 2 July 2014.
  15. Great Grub Club website;
  16. WCRF UK website: publications section
  17. Informed page of WCRF UK website
  18. WCRF UK website health professionals section