Adopting healthy lifestyle habits could significantly reduce the risk of death for cancer survivors, according to a new study that links adherence to American Cancer Society (ACS) guidelines with improved survival rates among nonsmoking survivors of obesity-related cancers. 

The findings, published online on April 3 in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, suggest that maintaining a healthy body weight, staying physically active, eating a nutritious diet, and moderating alcohol intake can meaningfully improve long-term outcomes for survivors. 

Researchers led by Dr. Ying Wang of the American Cancer Society in Atlanta followed 3,742 cancer survivors from the Cancer Prevention Study-II Nutrition Cohort. All participants had been diagnosed with obesity-related cancers between 1992 and 2002 and were tracked through 2020. The study excluded smokers to isolate the impact of lifestyle factors. 

Participants were scored on a scale of 0 to 8 based on their adherence to ACS recommendations regarding body mass index (BMI), diet, physical activity, and alcohol consumption.  Over a median follow-up period of 15.6 years, 2,430 deaths were recorded. The analysis revealed that survivors who scored between 6 and 8 on the ACS adherence scale had a significantly lower risk of all-cause mortality compared to those scoring between 0 and 3.

Specifically, their risk of dying from any cause, cardiovascular disease, or cancer was reduced by 24%, 33%, and 21%, respectively.  Further, survivors who consistently maintained a high adherence score (5 or above) before and after their cancer diagnosis experienced lower all-cause and cardiovascular mortality. Encouragingly, even those who improved their lifestyle post-diagnosis saw survival benefits.  "Many survivors want to know what lifestyle changes they can make to improve their chances of living longer,"