Vegan Diet Linked to Lower Cancer Risk

A US study links plant based diets to lower cancer risk in a large cohort.

Vegan Diet Cuts Major Cancer Risk by Up to 25 Percent

A US study of nearly 80,000 Adventists tracked cancer outcomes for eight years. It found vegans were about 25 percent less likely to develop cancer than meat eaters, and lacto-ovo vegetarians had a 12 percent reduction. Colorectal cancer dropped by 21 percent, stomach cancer by 45 percent and lymphoma by 25 percent among vegetarians. Pescatarians showed lower colorectal cancer risk. The study also notes vegetarians tended to be leaner, drink less alcohol, smoke less and exercise more, factors researchers adjusted for, while warning that such lifestyle differences could still influence the results. The findings, published in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, come as researchers note rising cancer rates among younger people worldwide.

The study adds to a long debate about how much diet shapes cancer risk. Its strengths lie in a large, well defined cohort and eight year follow up, but it remains observational. That means we should not assume causation from correlation. The results underline the value of overall healthy living, not a single magic diet. They also show how public messaging can become murky when people draw conclusions about one food or lifestyle from a single study. More work is needed to separate diet from other lifestyle changes and environmental factors.

Highlights

Diet choices are part of a broader health puzzle, not a single solution