‘Regular meat eaters more at cancer risk’
Vegetarians have 14 percent lower risk of developing cancer than those who regularly eat meat, according to a new study by researchers from the University of Oxford.
The study concluded that specific dietary behaviours such as low meat, vegetarian or pescatarian (person who does not eat meat but does eat fish) diets can have an impact on reducing the risk of certain cancers, The Guardian reports.
An analysis of the data of 470,000 British people found that pescatarians had a 10 percent reduced risk, The Guardian reports quoting the research.
Compared to people who eat meat regularly (more than five times a week), those who consumed small amounts had a two percent lower risk of developing cancer, the study also found.
However, the authors made clear that their findings did not conclusively prove regular meat-eating increased the risk of cancer.
Smoking and body fat could also help explain the differences found, they said.
OTHER FINDINGS OF THE STUDY
Those who eat lesser amounts of meat had a nine percent lower risk of developing bowel cancer than regular meat-eaters.
Vegetarian women were 18 percent less likely to develop postmenopausal breast cancer than those who ate meat regularly.
Vegetarian men have a 31 percent lower risk of prostate cancer while among male pescatarians it is 20 percent lower.
"The results … suggest that specific dietary behaviours such as low meat [and] vegetarian or pescatarian diets can have an impact on reducing the risk of certain cancers; in this case bowel, breast and prostate," The Guardian quoted Dr Giota Mitrou, director of research and innovation at World Cancer Research Fund International (WCRF), which co-funded the study with Cancer Research UK.
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