This study is really good news for those who follow a vegetarian diet because they have a lower risk of five cancer types, some of which are very prevalent in the population. While being vegetarian appeared to be protective overall, the scientists also found that those who follow a vegetarian diet had nearly double the risk of the most common type of cancer of the oesophagus, known as squamous cell carcinoma, compared with meat eaters.
Overall, vegetarians had a lower risk of five kinds of cancer, including some of the most lethal cancers, like breast cancer and prostate cancer. Pescatarians also had a lower risk of colorectal, breast, and kidney cancer, compared to red meat eaters, and poultry-eaters who avoided red meat suffered fewer cases of prostate cancer.
The first thing to say is that cancer is a very common condition. One in two of us in our lifetimes will be diagnosed with cancer. It is sometimes literally the ageing within a particular community. People have settled in an area at a particular time. We have talked about the ageing of our population. There are modifiable and non-modifiable risks for cancer and one of the most obvious non-modifiable ones is your age.
A landmark trial showed that exercise could be as effective as drugs in preventing the recurrence of colon cancer, highlighting the need to promote fitness seriously.
