Cancer study helped diet changes

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In a YouGov survey of 2,124 people commissioned by World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) to mark a year since its report was launched, 11% of people said that as a result of media coverage of it they had tried to cut down on processed meat such as bacon.

This was because of its advice that people should avoid eating processed meat because of convincing evidence that it increased the risk of bowel cancer.

The study found that if someone ate 150g of processed meat a day - roughly the equivalent of two sausages and three rashers of bacon - they were 63% more likely to develop bowel cancer.

According to the survey, older people were more likely to have tried to make changes. More than a third (37%) of over 55s had tried to cut down on processed meat, compared with just 6% of 18 to 34-year-olds.

More than a quarter (26%) of people had tried to eat more fruit and vegetables as a result of the coverage, following the findings that eating plenty of fruit and vegetables probably reduces the risk of a number of types of cancer, including cancers of the stomach and oesophagus.

Also, 18% of people said they had made more of an effort to watch their weight as a result of the report. This is because it found convincing evidence that excess body fat was a cause of six types of cancer.

The survey also found that as a result of the report, 18% of people had tried to be more physically active, 9% had tried to cut down the amount of alcohol they drank, 10% had tried to eat less red meat, such as beef, pork and lamb.

Richard Evans, head of communications for WCRF, said: "It is really encouraging that so many people remember our report and have tried to make lifestyle changes as a result of it. A big part of our work is interpreting the latest scientific research and then giving people the information so they are then in a position to make informed decisions. This survey shows that if people are told how they can reduce their risk of cancer then many of them will make changes.

"However, recent market research has shown that despite the wall-to-wall media coverage of our report, many people are still unaware of how things like diet and physical activity affect cancer risk. For example, only 57% of people are aware that having a poor diet increases your chances of developing cancer."