CanCer Prevention
A vegetarian diet helps prevent cancer.Studies of vegetarians show that death rates from cancer are only about onehalf to three-quarters of the general population’s cancer-death rates. Breast cancer rates are dramatically lower in countries where typical diets are plant-based. When women from those countries adopt a Western, meat-based diet, their rates of breast cancer soar. Vegetarians also have significantly lower rates of colon cancer than meat eaters. Colon cancer is more closely associated with meat consumption than any other dietary factor. Why do vegetarian diets help protect against cancer?
First, they are lower in fat and higher in fiber than meat-based diets. But other factors are important, too. Plants contain other cancer-fighting substances called
phytochemicals. For example, vegetarians usually consume more of the plant pigments
betacarotene and lycopene. This might help to explain why they have less lung and prostate cancers. Also, some studies havesuggested that diets that avoid dairy products may reduce the risk of prostate and ovarian cancers. Some of the anticancer aspects of a vegetarian diet cannot yet be explained. For example, researchers are not quite sure why vegetarians have more ofcertain white blood cells, called natural killer cells, which are able to seek anddestroy cancer cells.
A vegetarian diet helps prevent cancer.Studies of vegetarians show that death rates from cancer are only about onehalf to three-quarters of the general population’s cancer-death rates. Breast cancer rates are dramatically lower in countries where typical diets are plant-based. When women from those countries adopt a Western, meat-based diet, their rates of breast cancer soar. Vegetarians also have significantly lower rates of colon cancer than meat eaters. Colon cancer is more closely associated with meat consumption than any other dietary factor. Why do vegetarian diets help protect against cancer?
First, they are lower in fat and higher in fiber than meat-based diets. But other factors are important, too. Plants contain other cancer-fighting substances called
phytochemicals. For example, vegetarians usually consume more of the plant pigments
betacarotene and lycopene. This might help to explain why they have less lung and prostate cancers. Also, some studies havesuggested that diets that avoid dairy products may reduce the risk of prostate and ovarian cancers. Some of the anticancer aspects of a vegetarian diet cannot yet be explained. For example, researchers are not quite sure why vegetarians have more ofcertain white blood cells, called natural killer cells, which are able to seek anddestroy cancer cells.
Presented by Vegetarian Timesand
the Physicians Committeefor
Responsible Medicine
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