The Role of Lifestyle and Nutrition in Cancer Prevention
Large population studies suggest that around 40% of cancers in the UK are associated with modifiable risk factors, including smoking, excess body weight, physical inactivity, alcohol consumption and dietary patterns (Brown et al., 2012; World Cancer Research Fund, 2018). While no single behaviour can eliminate cancer risk entirely, adopting healthier lifestyle habits can meaningfully reduce risk at both individual and population levels.
Cohort studies demonstrate that individuals who follow multiple healthy lifestyle behaviours have a substantially lower risk of developing cancer compared with those who follow few or none (Khaw et al., 2008). Cancer prevention is therefore best understood as a package of behaviours, rather than a single intervention.
This presents a critical opportunity for healthcare professionals. Supporting patients and populations to adopt healthier lifestyle behaviours is not only central to chronic disease prevention and management, but also a key component of effective cancer prevention strategies (Khaw et al., 2008).
Nutrition and cancer risk: what does the evidence show?
Diet is one of the most influential lifestyle factors in cancer prevention. Current evidence highlights the importance of focusing on overall dietary patterns, rather than individual nutrients or foods in isolation (World Cancer Research Fund, 2018).
Key dietary factors associated with cancer risk:
Dietary fibre: Diets rich in wholegrains, vegetables, fruit and legumes are consistently associated with improved gut health, promotion of regular bowel movements, and a reduced risk of colorectal cancer (Barber et al., 2020).
Red and processed meat: High consumption of red meat, and particularly processed meat, is consistently associated with an increased risk of several cancers (Farvid et al., 2021). A substantial body of evidence supports public health recommendations to limit or substitute red and processed meat intake as part of cancer risk reduction strategies.
Energy balance and body weight: Obesity is strongly associated with an increased risk of at least 13 cancer types, driven by metabolic and hormonal dysregulation. Lifestyle interventions aimed at improving diet and physical activity are often the first-line approach to cancer prevention in this context (Lauby-Secretan et al., 2016; Marino et al., 2024).
Alcohol: There is no safe level of alcohol consumption for cancer prevention. However, cancer risk is dose-dependent, meaning that reducing alcohol intake can substantially reduce the population burden of alcohol-related cancers (Anderson et al., 2023).
Overall, these findings highlight the central role of modifiable dietary and lifestyle factors in cancer prevention and support population-level strategies to reduce cancer risk.
The wider lifestyle picture
While nutrition plays a central role, its impact is greatest when considered alongside other lifestyle behaviours:
Physical activity: Regular physical activity supports weight management, improves insulin sensitivity and reduces chronic inflammation, thereby reducing cancer risk across multiple sites (Schmid & Leitzmann, 2014).
Avoiding smoking: Not smoking, or smoking cessation, remains one of the most impactful actions for cancer prevention, as it significantly reduces tumour risk across numerous cancer types (Marino et al., 2024).
Evidence suggests that when these behaviours are combined with improved dietary practices, the potential for cancer risk reduction is substantially greater than when individual behaviours are addressed in isolation (Khaw et al., 2008).
The role of healthcare professionals in cancer prevention
Healthcare professionals are uniquely positioned to support cancer prevention through:
Brief, opportunistic conversations about lifestyle during routine consultations;
Normalising discussions around diet, weight and physical activity in a non-judgemental and supportive manner;
Signposting to credible, evidence-based resources and community support;
Advocating for healthy food and physical activity environments, including within workplaces.
Key messages
A significant proportion of cancers are linked to modifiable lifestyle factors.
Nutrition plays a central role in cancer prevention.
Prevention is most effective when healthy dietary patterns are combined with physical activity, healthy weight maintenance, limited alcohol intake and smoking cessation.
Cancer prevention is not about perfection. It is about creating environments and habits that support healthier choices over time, and empowering individuals with the knowledge and support needed to make those choices.
References
Anderson, B. O., Berdzuli, N., Ilbawi, A., Kestel, D., Kluge, H. P., Krech, R., Mikkelsen, B., Neufeld, M., Poznyak, V., & Rekve, D. (2023). Health and cancer risks associated with low levels of alcohol consumption. The Lancet Public Health, 8(1), e6–e7. https://doi.org/10.1016/S2468-2667(22)00278-5
Barber, T. M., Kabisch, S., Pfeiffer, A. F. H., & Weickert, M. O. (2020). The health benefits of dietary fibre. Nutrients, 12(10), 3209. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu12103209
Brown, K. F., Rumgay, H., Dunlop, C., Ryan, M., Quartly, F., Cox, A., Deas, A., Elliss-Brookes, L., Gavin, A., Hounsome, L., Huws, D., Ormiston-Smith, N., Shelton, J., White, C., & Parkin, D. M. (2012). The fraction of cancer attributable to lifestyle and environmental factors in the UK in 2010. British Journal of Cancer, 107(Suppl 1), S77–S81. https://doi.org/10.1038/bjc.2012.486
Farvid, M. S., Sidahmed, E., Spence, N. D., Mante Angua, K., Rosner, B. A., & Barnett, J. B. (2021). Consumption of red meat and processed meat and cancer incidence: A systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies. European Journal of Epidemiology, 36(9), 937–951. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10654-021-00741-9
Khaw, K. T., Wareham, N., Bingham, S., Welch, A., Luben, R., & Day, N. (2008). Combined impact of health behaviours and mortality in men and women: The EPIC-Norfolk prospective population study. PLOS Medicine, 5(1), e12. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.0050012
Lauby-Secretan, B., Scoccianti, C., Loomis, D., Grosse, Y., Bianchini, F., & Straif, K. (2016). Body fatness and cancer—Viewpoint of the IARC Working Group. New England Journal of Medicine, 375(8), 794–798. https://doi.org/10.1056/NEJMsr1606602
Marino, P., Mininni, M., Deiana, G., Marino, G., Divella, R., Bochicchio, I., Giuliano, A., Lapadula, S., Lettini, A. R., & Sanseverino, F. (2024). Healthy lifestyle and cancer risk: Modifiable risk factors to prevent cancer. Nutrients, 16(6), 800. https://doi.org/10.3390/nu16060800
Schmid, D., & Leitzmann, M. F. (2014). Association between physical activity and mortality among breast cancer and colorectal cancer survivors: A systematic review and meta-analysis. Annals of Oncology, 25(7), 1293–1311. https://doi.org/10.1093/annonc/mdu012
World Cancer Research Fund. (2018). Diet, nutrition, physical activity and cancer: A global perspective. Continuous Update Project Expert Report. https://www.wcrf.org/dietandcancer
