World Cancer Research Fund International has released a major new report on Dietary and Lifestyle Patterns (DLPs) and their role in cancer prevention, which is out today (2 April 2025).

Today’s report, developed by WCRF International, emphasises that analysing DLPs together, rather than looking at single nutrients or food groups, can help researchers and the public to better understand the factors that play a role in reducing cancer risk. The findings were judged by an independent panel of experts who developed a new recommendation for a cancer preventative dietary and lifestyle pattern based on the strong evidence from this systematic review.

Dietary patterns refer to quantities, proportions, combinations and varieties of different foods, drinks and nutrients, and the frequency with which they are consumed. DLPs refer to a combination of a certain dietary pattern with other measures such as body weight and behaviour-related risk factors including physical activity, alcohol consumption and smoking. 

Insights gleaned from comprehensive reports like today’s can support improvements in cancer prevention strategies including policy guidance and support populations around the world to adopt healthy DLPs.

The study was commissioned by WCRF International as part of the Global Cancer Update Programme (CUP Global) – the world’s largest source of scientific research on the impact of diet, nutrition, physical activity and body weight on cancer prevention and living with and beyond cancer.

Two research teams from the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health and the Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands used CUP Global methodology to conduct a comprehensive review of research on breast and bowel cancer incidence and mortality. WCRF International worked with an expert panel who judged the evidence and made recommendations on the characteristics of a cancer-preventing dietary and lifestyle pattern.

Global Cancer Update Programme collaborator and Professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health, Prof Edward Giovannucci, said:

“The work by the Global Cancer Update Programme in reviewing and synthesizing the literature on the role of dietary and lifestyle patterns in relation to colorectal cancer risk and mortality represents an immense step forward in how healthy lifestyle habits are key to prevention of cancer.

“The major advancement of this project is in the development of methods of synthesizing the data on diet and lifestyle in a more holistic manner, rather than examining piecemeal specific components such as individual foods and nutrients.

“These new findings strongly support that adopting a healthy pattern of diet, maintaining a healthy weight, staying physically active, and embracing health-conscious habits, such as avoiding tobacco and moderating alcohol, are collectively associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer.”

For colorectal cancer, the panel analysed 86 studies. Based on this evidence, they have recommended a DLP for reducing the risk of bowel cancer that includes: 

• Maintaining a healthy weight and regularly taking part in physical activity 
• Prioritizing fruit and vegetables, as well as fibre-containing foods
• Consuming coffee and food and beverages that contain calcium such as dairy products
• Reducing the consumption of sugar sweetened beverages and alcohol 
• Avoiding smoking
• Avoiding eating processed meats 

For breast cancer incidence and mortality, the panel assessed 84 research publications and recommended a DLP that includes: 

• Maintaining a healthy weight and regularly taking part in physical activity
• Prioritizing fruit and vegetables and fibre-containing foods
• Lowering consumption of red and processed meat and sugar sweetened beverages 
• Avoiding alcohol and smoking

Global Cancer Update Programme collaborator and Lead Researcher at the Health Research Institute of the Balearic Islands and the Physiopathology of Obesity and Nutrition Networking Biomedical Research Centre, Dr Dora Romaguera, said:

“Globally, breast cancer is the most common cancer among women. We have conducted the first comprehensive synthesis of the totality of the evidence on the associations between dietary and lifestyle patterns and breast cancer risk.

“Our findings are strengthened by the robust approach to critically assessing the strength of the evidence as part of the Global Cancer Update Programme.

“This report provides clear evidence that by looking at our whole diet and the way we live, there are clear steps to recommend to women to lower their breast cancer risk. Importantly, this work highlights the greatest benefit is found when adhering to most aspects of a cancer preventative pattern simultaneously.

“By looking out our whole diet and the way we live, there are clear steps we can take to minimize our risk of breast cancer.”

In the report, the panel gave a range of recommendations on how to encourage populations around the world to adhere to healthy DLPs. These include:

• Policy tools such as price reductions or subsidies for healthier foods or taxes on unhealthier foods could be used more by governments to benefit those on lower incomes and help governments reduce health inequalities 
• More needs to be done to enable people to exercise so that they can follow healthy cancer preventative DLPs, given that almost a third of the world’s population has insufficient levels of physical activity 
• There are major challenges that influence behaviour related to physical activity such as safety and accessibility concerns, which disproportionately affect those from Black and Minority Ethnic backgrounds, lower socioeconomic groups and those living with disabilities 
• Adhering to sustainable, healthy DLPs will have a positive impact on reducing greenhouse gas emissions by lowering levels of harmful nitrous oxide, generated from food production and agriculture

This report outlines barriers and opportunities that exist, which could either prevent or help populations stick to a healthy dietary and lifestyle pattern. A cancer preventative Dietary and Lifestyle Pattern is paramount to sustaining healthy populations and we hope will have wider benefits for the health of our planet.

Our recommendations are applicable to all and should also be adapted to reflect specific cultural traditions and local contexts. Dietary and lifestyle changes are unlikely to be possible without wider societal policies that allow for better access to healthy foods and other health behaviours related to cancer prevention.” 

Dr Giota Mitrou, Executive Director of Research and Policy, World Cancer Research Fund