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Healthy Nutrition, Activity May Reduce Mortality Risk for Cancer Survivors

Medically reviewed by Carmen Pope, BPharm. Last updated on April 14, 2025.

By Elana Gotkine HealthDay Reporter

MONDAY, April 14, 2025 -- Adherence to American Cancer Society (ACS) nutrition and activity guidelines for cancer survivors is associated with lower mortality risk among nonsmoking survivors of obesity-related cancers, according to a study published online April 3 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute.

Ying Wang, Ph.D., from the American Cancer Society in Atlanta, and colleagues followed nonsmoking participants from the Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort diagnosed with obesity-related cancers between 1992 and 2002 through 2020 to examine adherence to ACS guidelines. Adherence, including body mass index (BMI), physical activity, diet, and alcohol consumption, was scored from 0 to 8.

The researchers found that 2,430 deaths occurred among 3,742 cancer survivors with a median follow-up of 15.6 years. The risk for mortality was significantly lower for survivors with a score of 6 to 8 versus 0 to 3 (hazard ratios, 0.76, 0.67, and 0.79 for all-cause, cardiovascular disease, and cancer-specific mortality, respectively). Lower all-cause mortality was seen in association with a higher BMI score and a higher physical activity score. Survivors with a consistently high ACS guideline score (≥5) had lower all-cause and cardiovascular disease mortality compared with survivors with a consistently low score (<5), both before and after diagnosis. Lower all-cause mortality was also seen for survivors who improved their score from low to high.

"Many survivors want to know what lifestyle changes they can make to improve their chances of living longer," Wang said in a statement. "These findings underscore how making the right lifestyle choices truly affects cancer survival."

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Disclaimer: Statistical data in medical articles provide general trends and do not pertain to individuals. Individual factors can vary greatly. Always seek personalized medical advice for individual healthcare decisions.

© 2025 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

Posted April 2025

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