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| Funding boost for Cambridge cancer study |
December 12, 2007
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Cancer researchers at the University of Cambridge have received a funding boost today, thanks to a £146,753 grant from World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF).
The grant will fund a three-year study examining the risk of increased sugar intake in breast and bowel cancer as part of the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC) Norfolk study at the University of Cambridge’s MRC Centre for Nutritional Epidemiology in Cancer Prevention and Survival.
The researchers will look at stored urine samples of 4,000 people to find out how much sugar is in their diet, and therefore what impact sugar intake can have on cancer risk.
They will be looking at sugar levels in the urine because asking people what they have eaten can be unreliable, as people often misjudge how much of a food they have eaten. Looking at physical indicators can be more reliable.
Professor Sheila Bingham, who is leading the study, explained: “Both sugar intake and obesity are associated with a number of cancers, including breast and bowel cancer, but some of the evidence is conflicting.
“This difficulty in accurately assessing sugars intake may account for this, and this is why looking at sugars in urine will address this problem.”
“The results from this study will be hugely important because the more we understand about the relationship between sugar intake, other dietary factors and cancer, the better the nutritional and dietary advice we can provide to people to help them reduce their risk of developing cancer.”
Luice Galice, WCRF General Manager, said: “We are always looking to support innovative research that can improve our understanding of the link between diet and cancer, and this is why we are pleased to support this study.
"We are confident that this will be a really valuable piece of research and we are looking forward to finding out the results.”
ENDS
For more information contact Alice Ridley, Press and PR Officer, on 020 7343 4228.
Notes to editors
Breast cancer is the most common from of cancer in the UK, after skin cancer, and accounts for almost one in three of all cancer cases in women. Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer affecting both men and women in the UK with over 35,000 people diagnosed every year.
Prof. Sheila Bingham is available for photographs or interview on 01223 740151
About WCRF
World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF) raises awareness that cancer is largely preventable and helps people make choices to reduce their chances of developing the disease.
This includes research into how cancer risk is related to diet, physical activity, and weight management, and education programmes that highlight the fact that about a third of cancers could be prevented through changes to lifestyle. For more information on the charity’s work, visit www.wcrf-uk.org
The WCRF report, called Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity, and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective, was launched in November 2007 and is the most comprehensive report ever published on the link between cancer and lifestyle. For more information, visit www.dietandcancerreport.org
For immediate release
Contact: Alice Ridley on 020 7343 4228
E-mail: a.ridley@wcrf.org |
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WCRF UK, 19 Harley Street, London W1G 9QJ - Tel: 020 7343 4200 - Fax: 020 7343 4201 - wcrf@wcrf.org
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