To help lower your risk of cancer
As part of its guidelines on nutrition and physical activity for cancer prevention, the American Cancer Society recommends that people try to achieve and maintain a healthy weight throughout life. The best way to stay at a healthy body weight is to balance how much you eat with how active you are. If you are overweight, the best way to get to a healthy body weight is to limit the calories you take in, and burn more calories through physical activity.
You can lower the number of calories that you take in by eating smaller amounts of food (lowering portion sizes), limiting between-meal snacks, and limiting foods and drinks that are high in calories, fat, and/or added sugars, and that provide few nutrients. Fried foods, cookies, cakes, candy, ice cream, and regular soft drinks should be replaced with vegetables and fruits, whole grains, beans, and lower calorie beverages.
The American Cancer Society recommends that adults should get at least 150 minutes of moderate intensity or 75 minutes of vigorous intensity activity each week (or a combination of these), preferably spread throughout the week. Children and teens should get at least 1 hour of moderate or vigorous intensity activity each day, with vigorous activity on at least 3 days each week.
It is also important to limit your sedentary behavior such as sitting, lying down, watching TV, and other forms of screen-based entertainment. Doing some physical activity above usual activities, no matter what one’s level of activity, can have many health benefits.
In addition to helping you get to or maintain a healthy weight, eating a healthy diet and increasing your physical activity may have their own health benefits, including lowering your risk of cancer.
For people already diagnosed with cancer
Increasing evidence suggests that being overweight raises the risk of cancer recurrence and may lower the chances of survival for many cancers. Both during and after cancer treatment, people should try to get to and stay at a healthy weight whenever possible.
Some cancer survivors can be malnourished and underweight when they are diagnosed or as a result of cancer treatment. These people may need help gaining or maintaining their weight. But many people are overweight or obese when they are diagnosed with cancer. These people may want to talk with their doctor about trying to lose modest amounts of weight during treatment, as long as it is monitored closely and does not interfere with treatment. Safe weight loss should be achieved through a well-balanced diet and increased physical activity tailored to the specific needs of the person being treated.
After cancer treatment, weight should be managed with a combination of dietary and physical activity strategies. One way to help achieve a healthy weight is by reducing calories in the diet. This can be done by eating lower-calorie foods (such as vegetables, fruits, and soups, and cooked whole grains), limiting intake of fat and sugars, and limiting portion sizes of high-calorie foods. Increased physical activity is also important in promoting weight loss, and in keeping weight off in patients who are overweight or obese. Even if an ideal weight is not achieved, it is likely that any weight loss will still have significant health benefits.
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