Vegetarian diet cuts risk of cancer

Eating a meat-free, vegetarian diet may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer. This study adds to the 'increasing scientific evidence' that a diet rich in fruit, vegetables and fibre and low in meat, especially red and processed meat can prevent colorectal cancer.A previous study of colorectal cancer confirmed these findings, that a vegetarian diet reduces cancer risk. The fat in red meat increases the excretion of substances called bile acids, which in turn produce other substances that encourage tumour growth. Furthermore, meat contains natural compounds and substances formed during processing and high-temperature cooking that can disrupt the normal balance of cell growth in the colon. At the same time, substances in fruits and vegetables may inhibit these adverse effects.Researchers at the University of Oxford, UK, surveyed 10,998 adults about their eating habits and followed up their health parameters for 17 years. They found that 95 subjects in the study group developed colorectal cancer. They found that vegetarians were 15 percent less likely to develop colorectal cancer than meat-eaters. People were classified as non-vegetarians if they ate meat or fish. Vegetarians included vegans, who avoided all dairy and meat products. Along with a decreased risk of cancer with a vegetarian diet, the investigators found that frequent fruit eaters, consuming more than 5 servings of fruit per week were over 40 percent less likely to develop colorectal cancer. Smoking, drinking alcohol and eating more than 15 slices of white bread per week appeared to increase the risk of colorectal cancer.

Since only a small number of people developed colorectal cancer, it is impossible to confirm if these findings were simply due to chance. Further research is needed to clarify this issue.

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