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New Cancer Recommendations

Diet, Weight, Alcohol and Red Meat Consumption All
Implicated in Cancer Risk

Oct. 31, 2007

A team of top scientists from around the world spent five years reviewing 7,000 medical studies and concluded that your diet and weight directly effect whether you'll get cancer.

The landmark study also linked consumption of alcohol, red meat and processed meat to an increased risk of cancer.

ABC News Medical Editor Dr. Tim Johnson broke down the new recommendations.

	Limit body fat. Your body mass index should be between 18.5 to 24.9. Weight around the waist is most dangerous.
	Limit red meat to 2.5 ounces a day. An additional 1.7 ounces a day increases cancer risk by 15 percent. That means an 8 ounce steak or a quarter-pound hamburger would be the limit for a week.
	Limit alcohol to 2 drinks a day for men 1 drink a day for women.
	Limit salt intake to 2 grams a day. That's about a teaspoon a day, instead of the teaspoon and a half that most people eat. To give you an idea of how much salt is in food -- just one cup of cottage cheese has half the salt you should eat in a day -- half a teaspoon. Processed foods are almost always higher in salt.
	Get nutrients from whole foods, not vitamin supplements.
	Mothers should breastfeed children.