An association between a vegetarian diet and a lower risk of developing cancer has been found in several observational studies. Specifically, some studies report a decreased incidence of colorectal cancer,[1][2][3][4] gastric cancer,[5][6], and prostate cancer.[1][6] However, other studies have found that a vegetarian diet did not alter the prevalence of colorectal, breast, or prostate cancer.[7]
These findings are not definitive, and other factors that are not accounted for in the observational studies will significantly affect these results. For example, the lower cancer risk could be because people who choose to eat vegetarian diets tend to be more active and are less likely to smoke cigarettes.[8]
References
- ^Solange Parra-Soto, Danay Ahumada, Fanny Petermann-Rocha, Jirapitcha Boonpoor, Jose Lara Gallegos, Jana Anderson, Linda Sharp, Fiona C Malcomson, Katherine M Livingstone, John C Mathers, Jill P Pell, Frederick K Ho, Carlos Celis-MoralesAssociation of meat, vegetarian, pescatarian and fish-poultry diets with risk of 19 cancer sites and all cancer: findings from the UK Biobank prospective cohort study and meta-analysisBMC Med.(2022 Feb 24)
- ^Zhao Y, Zhan J, Wang Y, Wang DThe Relationship Between Plant-Based Diet and Risk of Digestive System Cancers: A Meta-Analysis Based on 3,059,009 Subjects.Front Public Health.(2022)
- ^Michael J Orlich, Pramil N Singh, Joan Sabaté, Jing Fan, Lars Sveen, Hannelore Bennett, Synnove F Knutsen, W Lawrence Beeson, Karen Jaceldo-Siegl, Terry L Butler, R Patti Herring, Gary E FraserVegetarian dietary patterns and the risk of colorectal cancersJAMA Intern Med.(2015 May)
- ^Tao Huang, Bin Yang, Jusheng Zheng, Guipu Li, Mark L Wahlqvist, Duo LiCardiovascular disease mortality and cancer incidence in vegetarians: a meta-analysis and systematic reviewAnn Nutr Metab.(2012)
- ^Bai T, Peng J, Zhu X, Wu CVegetarian diets and the risk of gastrointestinal cancers: a meta-analysis of observational studies.Eur J Gastroenterol Hepatol.(2023-Nov-01)
- ^Baroni L, Rizzo G, Galchenko AV, Zavoli M, Serventi L, Battino MHealth Benefits of Vegetarian Diets: An Insight into the Main Topics.Foods.(2024 Jul 29)
- ^Godos J, Bella F, Sciacca S, Galvano F, Grosso GVegetarianism and breast, colorectal and prostate cancer risk: an overview and meta-analysis of cohort studies.J Hum Nutr Diet.(2017 Jun)
- ^Dunneram Y, Lee JY, Watling CZ, Fraser GE, Miles F, Prabhakaran D, Shridhar K, Kondal D, Mohan V, Ali MK, Narayan KMV, Tandon N, Tong TYN, Chiu THT, Lin MN, Lin CL, Yang HC, Liang YJ, Greenwood DC, Du H, Chen Z, Yu C, Kakkoura MG, Reeves GK, Papier K, Floud S, Sinha R, Liao LM, Loftfield E, Cade JE, Key TJ, Perez-Cornago AMethods and participant characteristics in the Cancer Risk in Vegetarians Consortium: a cross-sectional analysis across 11 prospective studies.BMC Public Health.(2024 Aug 2)