LATEST figures reveal that people in the South West have the worst awareness of the link between cancer and diet.

An online survey of 2,046 adults by ComRes General Public Survey revealed that 46 per cent of people in the South West were oblivious to the role that diet plays in the development of cancer - and even those with a family history of the disease are failing to consume potentially “cancer-preventing” compounds in their daily diet.

The World Health Organisation suggests that at least one-third of all cancer cases are preventable, but while many take certain cancer prevention strategies seriously, new data reveals that only a third adapt their diet in a bid to reduce their cancer risk.

Research indicates that key cancer-preventing nutrients can be obtained from a selection of commonly available dietary ingredients, including tomatoes, curcumin, pomegranate and green tea.

Oncology Dietitian Tara Whyand is keen to encourage greater consumption of these key nutrients, but admits that it can be difficult to obtain apparently optimal doses from whole foods alone.

She said: “You would need to eat a large amount of tomatoes each day to consume a high concentration of the antioxidant lycopene, which is unrealistic for most people.”