When you include the American Institute for Cancer Research in your estate plans, you make a major difference in the fight against cancer.

Corporate Champions who partner with the American Institute for Cancer Research stand at the forefront of the fight against cancer

40 Years of Progress: Transforming Cancer. Saving Lives.

The AICR Lifestyle & Cancer Symposium addresses the most current and consequential issues regarding diet, obesity, physical activity and cancer.

The Annual AICR Research Conference is the most authoritative source for information on diet, obesity, physical activity and cancer.

Cancer Update Program – unifying research on nutrition, physical activity and cancer.

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Whether you are a healthcare provider, a researcher, or just someone who wants to learn more about cancer prevention, we’re here to help.

Read real-life accounts of how AICR is changing lives through cancer prevention and survivorship.

We bring a detailed policy framework to our advocacy efforts, and provide lawmakers with the scientific evidence they need to achieve our objectives.

AICR champions research that increases understanding of the relationship between nutrition, lifestyle, and cancer.

Are you ready to make a difference? Join our team and help us advance research, improve cancer education and provide lifesaving resources.

AICR’s resources can help you navigate questions about nutrition and lifestyle, and empower you to advocate for your health.

Stories of Impact

Barbara Spalding's Story: Maintain a Healthy Weight with the New American Plate

Since her breast cancer diagnosis in 2004, registered dietitian Barbara Spalding has learned a lot about navigating the side effects of cancer treatment while eating a nutritious diet.

“Obviously as someone who works in nutrition, I had a pretty good understanding of the role of diet in health,” she says. “But the experience of going through cancer treatment gave me a whole new perspective.”

Spalding recalls being frustrated during her treatment because sometime she couldn’t stomach healthy foods.  “During treatment, I couldn’t eat vegetables,” she says. “They were just too hard. I stopped eating salad for a couple of months – which was tough.  I knew I had to get those nutrients, so I got creative. If I couldn’t handle vegetables in a salad, how about making a smoothie with spinach or chard in it?”

Since finishing treatment, Barbara has found that the Institute’s New American Plate model has helped her find practical dietary answers for herself and her clients.

“When people ask me about good portions and proportions, and when we talk about cancer preventive diets, I just tell them what their plate should look like: mostly vegetables, some whole grains, and a little protein. People like the simplicity.”

If you’re undergoing treatment for breast cancer, Spalding says, your body needs the energy from healthy foods to fight the cancer.  It used to be that everyone undergoing treatment lost weight because chemotherapy was so rough. Nausea, heartburn and loss of taste made it hard to eat, she says.  Today, chemo can be paired with other drugs and treatments – some of which make you hungrier, which can lead to overeating and unhealthy weight gain.

“You don’t want to under eat or overeat,” Spalding says. “You want to maintain a healthy weight. I think following the New American Plate is a great way to achieve that goal.”

More Stories of Impact

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If you share our passion for cancer prevention and quality survivorship, we would love to hear from you. Whatever your experience has been — whether you are a patient, caregiver, or loved one — AICR would be happy to add your story to this tapestry.

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