Breast Cancer Awareness Ribbon (© Photographer: John Vernon | Agency: Dreamstime.com)

Being lean may be fashionable in contemporary America, but it also affords an important protection against cancer. That’s according to a report from the American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund.

The report offered ten recommendations for keeping the risk of cancer to a minimum. They included “limiting consumption of red meat and alcohol, avoiding processed meats and -- most importantly -- shedding those extra pounds” according to an article in the Los Angeles Times.

"The recommendation reflects what science is telling us today: Even small amounts of excess body fat, especially if carried at the waist, increase risk," said W. Philip T. James, chairman of the London-based International Obesity Task Force.

The Los Angeles Times article went on to say that the report “found a convincing connection between excess fat and cancers of the esophagus, pancreas, colon and rectum, endometrium and kidney, along with breast cancer in post-menopausal women.”

To read the Los Angeles Times article cited above go to: Body fat is linked to six types of cancers

To download the entire 517-page report go to: Food, Nutrition, Physical Activity and the Prevention of Cancer: a Global Perspective