Lifestyle changes like eating a healthy diet, exercising, and limiting alcohol could prevent about 340,000 cancer cases per year in the United States, according to a new report released by the American Institute for Cancer Research for World Cancer Day. Worldwide, cancer is a leading cause of death accounting for 7.6 million deaths and 12.7 million new diagnoses per year. Lifestyle changes could decrease cancer risk by 38 percent for breast cancer, 45 percent for colon cancer, and 47 percent for stomach cancer.

AICR/WCRF preventability estimates: Update to estimates produced for the 2009 Policy Report. 2011. American Institute for Cancer Research/World Cancer Research Fund. Available at: http://www.aicr.org/site/DocServer/UICCprWCD2011.pdf?docID=4781. Accessed February 7, 2011.

People over the age of 65 with metabolic syndrome are at an increased risk of cognitive decline, according to a study published this month in Neurology. Metabolic syndrome is a cluster of symptoms, including hypertension, abdominal obesity, high triglycerides, low HDL (“good”) cholesterol, and high blood sugar levels. Researchers in France looked at 4,323 women and 2,764 men. In addition to cognitive decline, those with metabolic syndrome were more likely to have symptoms of depression and a history of heart disease.

Raffaitin C, Féart C, Le Goff M, et al. Metabolic syndrome and cognitive decline in French elders: The Three-City Study. Neurology. 2011;76:518-525.

The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans devote more attention to vegetarian and vegan diets than any previous version of the Guidelines. The new Guidelines devote two full pages to vegetarian and vegan nutrition and point out that these eating patterns provide nutritional advantages and reduce obesity, heart disease, and overall mortality.

U.S. Department of Agriculture and U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. 7th Edition. Washington, D.C.: U.S. Government Printing Office, December 2010. Available at: http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/dietaryguidelines.htm. Accessed January 31, 2011.