Health written question – answered at on 13 July 2010.
To ask the Secretary of State for Health how much the Government has spent on funding (a) research and (b) education programmes on the links between cancer and (i) diet, (ii) physical activity levels and (iii) weight in each of the last three years; and if he will make a statement.
The National Institute for Health Research (NIHR) and the Medical Research Council (MRC) support a broad portfolio of research on cancer and on the effects on human health of diet, physical activity levels and weight.
The MRC Centre for Nutritional Epidemiology in Cancer Prevention and Survival was launched in 2006 with a £2.5 million award to the University of Cambridge to fund research into the impact of diet on cancer. The centre provides international leadership in research in the epidemiology and molecular origins of the dietary causes of cancer. It will build on findings from the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer (EPIC) and provide compelling scientific evidence to help underpin intervention studies, public health advice and clinical guidance on treatment. Research infrastructure in England for EPIC is provided through the NIHR Clinical Research Network.
The Food Standards Agency has commissioned research investigating the role of dietary components in preventing diseases of the colon under the N12 Diet and Colonic Health research programme. Total spend over the last three years has been £957,167. he Department has not funded any education programmes specifically on the links between cancer and diet, physical activity and weight. The focus of the 'Change for Life' programme is on supporting behaviour change relating to diet and physical activity.
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No0 people think not
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