Sir Anthony Hopkins has played some legendary roles, but the most important may be as a champion for cancer prevention. When he received the inaugural Legend award at Spike TV’s “2008 SCREAM” awards he made sure his appearance benefited the nonprofit organization.

At Sir Anthony’s request, the producers of the event made a donation of $25,000 in honor of the actor and his work to fight cancer. The donation will help fund The Cancer Project’s cancer-prevention nutrition classes in cities across the United States.

Sir Anthony has a history of supporting The Cancer Project’s efforts to educate the public about the benefits of a healthy diet for cancer prevention and survival, efforts. In 2004, he narrated a hugely successful television public service announcement that highlighted the link between diet and cancer. The lifesaving message has reached hundreds of thousands of people.

“Sir Anthony’s generous support of The Cancer Project will help educate thousands of people about the important role of diet in preventing cancer,” says Neal Barnard, M.D., president of The Cancer Project. “Many Americans do not realize that healthy eating habits can help prevent cancer, so our nutrition classes teach the importance of avoiding high-fat meat products and consuming more fruits, vegetables, and other vegetarian foods.”

Sir Anthony is a distinguished actor who may be best known for his role in “The Silence of the Lambs,” for which he won the Oscar for Best Actor. The third annual televised “SCREAM” Awards Show aired Tuesday, October 21, on Spike TV.

Three long-term studies published in Archives of Internal Medicine show how food choices lead to type 2 diabetes. Researchers at Boston University followed 43,960 African American women over 10 years, and found that type 2 diabetes developed more often among those who consumed more sweetened beverages. Researchers at Addenbrook’s Hospital in Cambridge, England, found that higher plasma vitamin C levels and greater consumption of fruits and vegetables were associated with a lower incidence of type 2 diabetes among 21,831 adults followed over 12 years. A third article, from Fred Hutchison Cancer Research Center, Seattle, found that among 48,835 Women’s Health Initiative participants, women assigned to a low-fat diet trended toward a reduced disease incidence, which authors attributed to weight loss.

Palmer JR, Boggs DA, Krishnan S, Hu FB, Singer M, Rosenberg L. Sugar-sweetened beverages and incidence of type 2 diabetes mellitus in African American women. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168:1487-1492

Harding AH, Wareham NJ, Bingham SA et al. Plasma vitamin C level, fruit and vegetable consumption, and the risk of new-onset type 2 diabetes mellitus: the European Prospective Investigation of Cancer-Norfolk Prospective Study. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168:1493-1499.

Tinker LF, Bonds DE, Margolis KL et al. Low-fat dietary pattern and risk of treated diabetes mellitus in postmenopausal women: The Women's Health Initiative Randomized Controlled Dietary Modification Trial. Arch Intern Med. 2008;168:1500-1511.

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