New guidelines encourage people to exercise more per week to reduce their cancer risk

The American Cancer Society has released new guidelines for reducing the risk of cancer.

Here are some of the recommendations:

Adults should engage in 150 to 300 minutes of moderate-intensity or 75 to 150 minutes of vigorous-intensity physical activity per week. Achieving or exceeding the upper limit of 300 minutes is optimal.

The increase in exercise coincides with a study which found that people with the most sedentary behavior have an 82 percent higher risk of dying from cancer than people with the least sedentary behavior.

Scientific studies also show that exercise can reduce the risk of cancer either directly by stimulating anticancer molecules in the body or indirectly through weight loss and an improvement in lifestyle.

It is best not to drink alcohol.

People who choose to drink alcohol should limit their consumption to no more than one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men.

A healthy eating pattern includes foods high in nutrients in amounts that help achieve and maintain a healthy body weight, a variety of colorful vegetables and fiber-rich legumes (beans and peas), whole fruits with a variety of colors and whole grains.

A healthy eating pattern limits or does not include red and processed meats, sugar-sweetened beverages, highly processed foods and refined grain products.

“The guideline continues to reflect the current science that dietary patterns, not specific foods, are important to reduce the risk of cancer and improve overall health,” said Laura Makaroff, DO, the American Cancer Society’s senior vice president of prevention and early detection.

“There is no one food or even food group that is adequate to achieve a significant reduction in cancer risk,” she said.

“Current and evolving scientific evidence supports a shift away from a nutrient-centric approach to a more holistic concept of dietary patterns.”

However, Dr. Steven Clinton, a medical oncologist and researcher with The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Arthur G. James Cancer Hospital, and Richard J. Solove Research Institute said, “First, it is important to remember that in the magnitude of all the environmental and lifestyle factors that contribute to cancer risk, tobacco use is the first thing people should be aware of. Data shows more than up to one-third of all cancers are linked to tobacco.”