Eating Fish Or Being Vegetarian Generally Helps In Battle Against Colorectal Cancer

♦ An interesting study backs up a number of findings in the research literature that vegetarian or vegan, and/or fish-eating Seventh-day Adventists of both sexes appear to have a lower risk of developing colorectal cancer than those of the same sect who are regular meat eaters.

Colorectal cancer is now the second leading cause of death in the USA even though better screening with colonoscopy has improved earlier diagnosis. Preventing cancer is a better alternative and diet is one of the main methods of reducing its incidence

Over 78 thousand Adventists were assessed and generally cancer levels were low throughout this group with only 380 cases of colon cancer and 110 cases of rectal cancer recorded.

The health study, conducted by the Loma Linda University  has been examining the health of this religious group from 2002 onwards and found that vegetarians had a 22% lower risk for all colorectal cancers overall, compared to meat eating members of the same group. Delving deeper, there was a 19% lower risk for colon cancer and a 29% lower risk for rectal cancer for the vegetarians.

The vegans too present corresponding low levels of colorectal cancer levels as this group had a 16% lower risk of colorectal cancer.  There was a 43% lower risk of colorectal cancer for pesco-vegetarians who will eat fish but no meat, with an 18% lower risk for lacto-ovo vegetarians who eat milk and eggs, and an 8% lower risk for semi-vegetarians who will eat some meat.

Perhaps the findings are most striking for the fish eaters.

The study reinforces views that vegetarianism is a much healthy diet with  more fibre, fruits  and vegetables consumed, and that eating red and processed meats is a major risk factor. It is highly likely that vegetarians also eat less processed foods, calorie-laden drinks,  sweets or snacks which is implicated in another risk factor – obesity particularly around the waist. The other risk factors are alcohol consumption and smoking.

What remains to be established is why a vegetarian diet could have this impact. Dietary studies can only show an association between cancer and diet, not a cause-and-effect relationship. The underlying mechanisms remain to be teased out.

References

Orlich, M.J., Singh, P.N., Sabate, J. et al., (2015) Vegetarian Dietary Patterns and the Risk Of Colorectal Cancers. JAMA Intern. Med. doi: 10.1001/jamainternmed.2015.59  Published online: 9th March, 2015.