Dietitian Alice Bender‘s job here at AICR is to take the research we fund and turn it into practical advice for the public.  Last week was the first time Alice attended an AICR Research Conference.  She attended sessions, blogged a bit, hosted one of the roundtable discussions which were created to help the health professionals who attended our conference network with one another, and anchored our press conference, where she released the results of AICR’s biennial survey on cancer risk factors.

Now that the conference is behind us and things are starting to settle down, we were eager to get her impressions.

Q: What was the most exciting part of the conference for you?

A: Finishing the press conference (laughs)– because once it was over I could really  focus on the research that was being presented.  Actually, there were many highlights – the first one was dinner with [AICR Nutrition Advisor] Karen Collins and Diana Dyer [a cancer survivor/RD and longtime friend of AICR; sales of Diana's book go towards an special endowment at AICR for research on cancer survivorship.]  It was an exhilarating conversation that stretched to four hours before we knew it — we talked about all kinds of things related to nutrition, organics, sustainability and AICR.

Q: This was your first AICR conference. How’d it compare to what you expected?

A: It was even better than thought it would be. I knew there were going to be many presentation on basic research, but I was surprised — pleasantly so — to see the talks including so much applied information.  It was a nice mix of the science and its real-world implications.

After the jump: Alice talks networking, messaging and new technologies. (more…)

AICR in the News, AICR Research Conference, Cancer Prevention, Cancer Survivorship, Diet, Prevention Policy, rehabilitation Hide

More than 14 percent of cancer survivors were first diagnosed more than 20 years ago? That’s why survivors’ visibility is growing, said Julia H. Rowland, PhD, Director of the National Cancer Institute’s Office of Cancer Survivorship, along with public demand for rehabilitation programs akin to cardiac patient programs.

“We can’t just ‘treat and street’ anymore,” she said.

Helping people learn what they can do to help themselves stay well with diet, nutrition and physical activity is key to helping them manage cancer and succeed at survivorship. “We need to inform survivors and their families of of cancer prevention strategies because behaviors occur in the context of families,” she added. Leveraging the support of other cancer survivors holds much potential for cancer rehab programs in the future–combined with health care professionals, the insurance industry and government as a prevention and cost-saving measure. Studies are beginning to look at people living longer with cancer and additional health problems that develop with aging.

Registered Dietitian Diana Dyer — a nationally recognized 2-time breast cancer survivor whose endowment benefits AICR — said to “Separate hope from hype or harm” — advice to cancer patients who are overwhelmed by the tidal wave of information when first diagnosed. “Plant foods are powerful,” she said. Making nutrition guidance for survivors a priority is being boosted by a new oncology certification for dietitians offered by the American Dietetic Association.

cancer survivors, rehabilitation Hide