Goals for nutrition in the year 2000.

Ongoing research continues to support the hypothesis that dietary factors significantly influence the incidence of many human malignancies. Despite some conflicting and confusing studies reported over the past two decades, it is becoming increasingly clear that maintenance of a healthy adult weight, through proper balance of caloric intake and physical activity, is key to cancer prevention. Moreover, current nutritional recommendations for the prevention of cancer include increased consumption of fruits and vegetables; reduced consumption of red meat and animal fat; and avoidance of excessive alcohol use. For many individuals, a daily multivitamin that contains folic acid may also be part of a reasonable overall cancer prevention strategy.