Project on diet and cancer launched

An initiative that seek to find out more about the role diet and other environmental factors play in the promotion and prevention of breast cancer, has been launched in Kumasi on Monday.

Dubbed “International Breast Cancer and Nutrition Project (IBCNP),”  the programme also aims at bringing together experts in nutrition, basic medical science, statistic, cancer epidemiology, communication, public policy, economics, health law, anthropology and medicine to study variety of factors, including how cellular mechanisms in breast cancer development link to diet, and food source and disease prevention.

Another objective is to identify the connection between different types of breast cancer, nutrition and epigenome.

Some scientists and researchers from the Purdue University in the United States of America (USA) are spearheading the project in response to a call by the World Health Organization to scientists from around the world to help shift efforts from detection of disease towards primary prevention.

It is being piloted in Ghana, USA, France, Japan, Uruguay and Lebanon.

Each country has selected a team of renowned scientists and researchers to focus on a number of milestones and allow them to study worldwide diversity in breast cancer rates, dietary patterns and cultural practices.

The team of Ghana is led by Dr Mrs Beatrice Wiafe Addai, Chief Executive of Breast Care International and Peace and Love Hospital in Kumasi and includes scientists from the Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology.

Speaking at the launch of the project, Mr Samuel Sarpong, Chief Executive of Metropolitan Assembly, said the difficulty in the fight against breast cancer called for a shift in approach.

He called for collaboration between medical officials, sociologists, nutritionists, physicians, researchers and other paramedical staff to fight breast cancer.

Mr Sarpong praised Dr Mrs Addai for her pioneering role in the fight against the disease and advised women to always conduct self breast examination and seek early treatment.

Professor Sophie A. Lelievre, Leader of the research team from Purdue University, said the project had become necessary due to the continued spread of breast cancer, worldwide.

Dr Mrs Addai said though much awareness had been created about breast cancer, emphasis had not been placed on primary prevention.

She said the project would help to establish how nutrition and diet could help in the promotion of prevention of the disease in Africa.

Source: GNA

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