Léo Ramos Chaves / Pesquisa Fapesp
Physical exercise is essential to maintaining good healthLéo Ramos Chaves / Pesquisa FapespIn October, an international group of 60 experts, including Brazilians, published the first edition of The Latin America and the Caribbean Code against Cancer, drafted with support from the World Health Organization’s International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) and the Pan American Health Organization (PAHO). The document recommends 17 socioeconomic and cultural measures that people in Latin America and the Caribbean should take to reduce exposure to avoidable carcinogenic risk factors. The suggestions include: not smoking or consuming tobacco in any form; maintaining an appropriate weight for your age and height; performing physical activity and restricting sedentary time; avoiding the consumption of alcoholic beverages; maintaining a healthy diet (containing fruits and whole grains and avoiding sugar and ultra-processed foods); and protecting yourself from the Sun, atmospheric pollution, and carcinogens in the workplace. Each recommendation is accompanied by a set of guidelines on how governments can help people to effectively protect themselves from the risk factors. Cancer is the leading cause of death in almost half of the region’s 33 countries and territories. The number of new cases could reach 2.4 million in 2040, up from 1.5 million in 2020 (Cancer Epidemiology, October 16).
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