A new United States study reveals that a plant-based diet which includes fish and seafood may lower the risk of colorectal cancer.
Studies in the past have suggested that vegetarians have a lower risk of certain cancers and even other diseases like heart problems, diabetes, high blood pressure and even obesity. However, the recent study that was published in JAMA Internal Medicine recommends that adding a variation to plant-based diets may actually help prevent colorectal cancer.
Eating a vegetarian diet can reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by as much as 20 percent. However, for those who incorporate fish and seafood to their diet, the protective link was stronger.
"We were surprised to find that pescovegetarians had a significantly lower risk of colorectal cancers than people on other vegetarian diets," said lead study author Dr. Michael Orlich, an assistant professor in medicine and public health at Loma Linda University in California.
The researchers utilized dietary questionnaires, medical records and cancer registries to track the link between eating habits and cancer prevalence. They analyzed data from 77,659 Seventh-Day Adventists, a religion that encourages a healthy diet with more vegetables and abstaining from bad habits such as smoking and alcohol drinking.
"Our vegetarians not only ate less meat than the non-vegetarians, but also less sweets, snack foods, refined grains and caloric beverages. They ate more fruits, vegetables, whole grains, beans and nuts," he added.
After following up the adults for 7.3 years, 380 of the adults had colon cancer and 110 had rectal cancer. Compared to regular meat eaters and those not eating plant-based diets, there were 22 percent reduced risk of colorectal cancers.
Meanwhile, pescovegetarians, those who eat plant-based diets with fish at least once a month, had a bigger reduced risk of 43 percent as reported by Your Health.
According to the National Cancer Institute, there are 136,830 new cases and an estimated 50,310 deaths due to colorectal cancer in 2014 alone. Also, approximately 4.7 percent of men and women will be diagnosed with colon and rectum cancer at some point during their lifetime, based on 2009-2011 data.
Stacy Kennedy, a specialist in oncology nutrition at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in Boston and was not involved in the study said that there are many nutrients in fish that may help protect the body from colorectal cancer. "Fish is high in omega-3 fatty acids, which have been shown in previous research to reduce inflammation and lower the risk of some types of cancer," she added.
Moreover, Dr. David Bernstein, a gastroenterologist at North Shore University Hospital in Manhasset, N.Y., said additional research is needed, but eating more vegetables is probably good, as is limiting red meat. "Everything has to be done in moderation, but this study is something people should take seriously," he said.
