This was one of the largest studies ever to analyze the link between diet and cancer if any. The study, which examined 7,000 studies starting from the 1960s, found red meat and processed meats like ham, bacon and salami increased the risk of several cancers including colon cancer and bowel cancer.

Some 40 percent of all cancers are linked to improper diet, lack of exercise and excess body weight. A panel of 21 eminent scientists led by Professor Sir Michael Marmot, professor of Public Health at University College London drafted the report, which called for healthy diet and maintaining weight in the healthy range.

One of the most surprising findings of the report was excess weight caused cancer even though the individual was not overweight.

"The scientific community is convinced that inherited high susceptibility to cancer accounts for only a small proportion of cases. Although we are all more or less susceptible to various diseases, environmental factors," the researchers wrote. "This means that most cancers are at least in theory preventable."

The report said that consuming a diet based on vegetables, fruits and whole grains could prevent a number of cancers. Consumers should avoid red meat, processed meats and dairy products, they added.

Some of the common culprits implicated in several cancers are given below:

Alcoholic Drinks are known to cause:
* Cancer of the Mouth, pharynx, and larynx
* Oesophageal cancer
* Liver cancer
* Colon cancer
* Rectal cancer
* Pre-menopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer

Red meat was implicated in:
* Colon cancer
* Rectal cancer

Cantonese-style salted fish was implicated in cancer of nasopharynx

Arsenic in drinking water increased the risk of
* Lung cancer
* Skin Cancer

High calcium diet was implicated in prostate cancer

High salt diet and salty foods were linked to Stomach cancer

Body fat increased risk of
* Oesophageal cancer
* Endometrial cancer
* Pancreatic cancer
* Kidney cancer
* Cancer of the gallbladder
* Colon cancer
* Premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer

Height was a factor in:
* Pancreatic cancer
* Colon cancer
* Premenopausal and postmenopausal breast cancer
* Ovarian cancer
* Thyroid cancer

The panel recommends that individuals should try to
* Be as lean as possible
* Be physically active as part of everyday life
* Limit consumption of energy-dense foods
* Avoid sugary drinks
* Eat mostly foods of plant origin
* Limit intake of red meat and avoid processed meat
* Aim to meet nutritional needs through diet alone
* Avoid mouldy cereals (grains) or pulses (legumes)
* Limit consumption of salt
* Limit alcoholic drinks
* Eat at least five portions of vegetables and fruits

Most cancers are preventable by taking simple steps to change your lifestyle, the panel added. For reading the complete report, please visit http://www.dietandcancerreport.org/

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