Cancer is one of the major causes of mortality in the UK. Nutritional factors and physical activity play an important role in the prevention, development and treatment of cancer and the response to treatment. While the UK has internationally competitive research in both nutrition, physical activity and in cancer, there is only a relatively small amount on the overlap between these areas. The NIHR Cancer and Nutrition Collaboration (https://cancerandnutrition.nihr.ac.uk/) has been established to bring together a range of interdisciplinary stakeholders including the health professionals with responsibility for the delivery of cancer care and those with experience and understanding of nutrition, physical activity and the behavioural sciences, in order to bring coherence to existing activities and provide a co-ordinated framework for future research. Members of the Society already make a major contribution to the work of the Collaboration across all of the work streams (see Appendix 1) reflecting their personal interests in the role of diet and physical activity in cancer prevention, characterising nutritional state as well as molecular mechanisms underlying the role the diet and activity play in both the development and treatment of cancer. There is a need to further support and encourage the development of nutritional science in cancer research bringing greater coherence, consensus and standardisation of methodology for nutrition research in population science, cancer biology, nutritional state and diet and exercise interventions. This can be best achieved by drawing on the broader experience and expertise that exists within the Society.
Aims and Objectives
- To bring together members of the Society with an interest in nutrition, physical activity and cancer, to share understanding and capabilities, to identify and develop shared research opportunities.
- To identify, bring together, map capabilities, interests and current research activity of Society members to form a Network of members interested in and working in the field of nutrition, physical activity and cancer across primary and secondary prevention, treatment and living with and beyond cancer.
- To promote the academic career development of nutritional scientists, especially those who are Early Career Researchers.
- To work with the NIHR Cancer and Nutrition Collaboration and its existing partners, and other organisations working in nutrition, physical activity and cancer to promote the science of nutrition in cancer through joint academic and professional webinars, workshops, meetings and conferences.
Chair
Dr Steve Wootton, Faculty of Medicine, University of Southampton