The American Institute for Cancer Research (AICR) is making waves today with its new report linking excess weight to increased risk of cancer. We’ve parsed through the 500-page tome and, frankly, we’re surprised by how measured, well-researched, and common-sensical it is. Of note are AICR’s dietary recommendations, almost all of which are tried-and-true habits for healthy living that have hardly a whiff of food activism on them (e.g., don’t consume excess amounts of food and alcohol, exercise regularly, etc.).

This morning’s press conference announcing the report, however, made it crystal clear that the AICR panelists aren’t satisfied with just making suggestions. They’re planning on releasing an accompanying set of policy recommendations for world governments in November 2008. And, as weight loss industry lackey Dr. Philip James indicated in his official presentation of the report’s findings, those policies are going to be about as food-freedom-unfriendly as they come.

So today’s report is meant to lay the PR groundwork for a full-scale activist onslaught next year. As we’re telling the media, Americans need to remember that:

Cancer death rates are at an all-time low and Americans’ life expectancy is at an all-time high. Before nutrition activists run with AICR’s conclusions and force-feed us another round of hyperbole, they ought to look at these important statistics.