Dietary strategies for cancer prevention.
BACKGROUND
Two-thirds of cancer cases are associated with two lifestyle practices: 35% with the typical American diet, and 30% with tobacco use. In contrast to the field of tobacco control, research and resources dedicated to the field of nutrition have been limited, in part because dietary change has been considered controversial and requires a more complex set of interventions.


METHODS
This series of papers reviews the science base underlying diet as a cancer control strategy, including research about diet-cancer relationships, current nutrition policy recommendations, American dietary trends, models of dietary behavior change, and diet in health care delivery. The history of technology transfer of new knowledge into widespread application will be compared and contrasted with other cancer control measures.


RESULTS
There is scientific and policy agreement about three priority dietary goals for the year 2000: increase fruit and vegetable consumption to 5 or more servings every day, increase breads, cereals, and legumes to 6 or more servings daily, and decrease fat to no more than 30% of total calories. Current data do not indicate that these goals will be reached. As yet there is no organized effort, with clearly identified steps, to translate research into practice. The parallel with delays in implementing other cancer control measures, including Papanicolaou testing, mammography, and tobacco intervention, is striking.


CONCLUSIONS
Without resources dedicated to dietary modification in the general population, it is not likely that the potential savings of more than 300,000 new cases, 160,000 deaths, and the $25 billion in associated costs will be realized in the foreseeable future.
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Chronic Diseases Control Branch, California Department of Health Services, Sacramento 94234-7320.
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D000570:American Cancer Society; D004032:Diet / Q000379:methods*; D004041:Dietary Fats / Q000008:administration & dosage; D004043:Dietary Fiber / Q000627:therapeutic use; D005638:Fruit; D006801:Humans; D009369:Neoplasms / Q000517:prevention & control*; D014481:United States; D014675:Vegetables
D004041:Dietary Fats; D004043:Dietary Fiber