Today’s news reports have focused on a study that says vegetarians get less cancer. As always, with these studies, things aren’t as clear as that. You can read the original report, online for free at the British Journal of Cancer “Cancer incidence in British Vegetarians”
The study looked at 60,000 people (this is a lot of people, which is good). 20,000 of those people were vegetarians. However the actual numbers of people that developed cancer are relatively low (around 50-200 people for the 20 different cancers studied). That may affect the results. Some of the first people to take part in this study were recruited in 1980-1984. What I found surprising was that they didn’t ask all participants if the were still vegetarian at the end of the study (in 2006) or if not, how long they were vegetarian for. This would obviously have an affect on the results, for example you may have been a vegetarian in 1981, but started eating meat again in 1982 and had continued to eat meat until the end of the study you would still be classed as a vegetarian.
This research was funded by Cancer Research UK and you can read a more glowing press relase on their website called “Vegetarians less likely to develop cancer than meat eaters”
The NHS Choices Blog has a detailed discussion of the study called “Vegetarians Get Less Cancer” In short the research showed that vegetarians (or people that ate fish but no other meat) had a lower risk of:
1 Stomach cancer – based on 49 cases
2 Ovarian cancer
3 Bladder cancer – based on 85 cases
4 Cancer of the blood and blood forming tissues (including multiple myeloma, leukemia and non Hodgkin’s lymphoma) – based on 257 cases
As the NHS choices blog points out, the four cancers that were reduced among vegetarians were relatively rare so the risk calculations may be imprecise. The authors also didn’t follow up to see if the participants smoking habits etc had changed since the study started and this could also influence the results.
What was not widely reported was that vegetarians had a significantly higher risk of cancer of the cervix, but as this was based on 23 cases it could be down to chance. Another interesting point is that it is generally accepted that eating processed meats increases your risk of colorectal cancer but this study found no difference in colorectal cancer rates between meat eaters or vegetarians.
Will I stop eating meat because of this study? No.
Do I think eating lots of fresh fruit and vegetables is a good idea? Yes.
Do I think eating fish is good for you. Yes.
Should you exercise and keep a healthy weight. Definitely.
Will this study just be added to the pile that people ignore because scientists are always changing their minds. Probably…
What do you think? Is it important to fund this sort of research? Please feel free to leave a comment below.
PS
For a detailed discussion of why this sort of science is really hard to do have a read of “Diet and Health” on DC’s Improbable Science.
If you are more impressed with the images than the text “
being vegeterian helps me a lot in toning down my body fats and staying fit:,”
being vegetarian made me a lot healthier and leaner-;,
Regardless, vegetarian onsume very little fat, even smaller amounts of saturated fat, and aren’t subject to eating greasy food food from fast food outlets because many don’t do veggie options, and if they do, they are usually grilled soy burgers. Certainly, I can see logical scientific sense in the study. And regardless, I ain’t never going to have fatty, sick arteries, or a fat ass. I live on lettuce. I love it. I’m never going to have to feel that sick, fat, groggy fealing after a huge fast food meal. I’m fitter than ever and I will never eat meat again. Certainly the extra vitamins from veggie food/veg that replace the meat give you body vitamin boost and help your brain. I might follow in the footsteps of Galileo or Da Vinci or Einstein or Newton or Edison. Famous veggies who have done pretty well for themselves. I am an aspiring scientist, physician and engineer after all.
Getting cancer depends on a lot of factors, not just on diet alone. But being a vegetarian is definitely healthier.