Junkfood Science:

We haven’t been able to turn on the television or radio or open a newspaper without being hit with news of the Second Expert Report just issued by the World Cancer Research Fund and American Institute for Cancer Research. The Report is called “Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective,” and is said to have found the most convincing evidence yet that being fat causes six cancers. Cancers, we’re told, “are mostly preventable” by following their diet and lifestyle recommendations. Its press release, “Landmark report: Excess body fat causes cancer,” was reported around the world as if a script. The evidence “is clearer than ever. Even small amounts of excess body fat, especially around the middle, can make cancer more likely,” Dr. Emily Senay told viewers on the CBS Early Morning Show. “Never before has the evidence been more compelling and the advice more specific,” said Charles Gibson during ABC World News Tonight. The Report issued the most stringent cancer-preventive recommendations of yet any organization, including limit red meat, high-caloric foods, alcohol, refined carbohydrates and salt; avoid sugary drinks, fast foods and processed meats; eat mostly a plant-based diet with at least 5 servings of fruits and vegetables a day; be active and stay as thin as possible within the ‘normal’ range of weight.

This Report may have impressed or frightened some because of its size, the numbers of experts involved, and the bold assertive claims that it was “the most comprehensive review ever published on the evidence linking cancer risk to diet, physical activity and weight.” But wade through the 517 pages and you will discover that not one of the key recommendations were supported in clinical studies. In fact, the Report not only failed to provide what most scientists would consider convincing evidence, its conclusions were often the opposite of the evidence.