Study reveals plant-based diet can lower bowel cancer risk in men by 22 per cent

Our diet must be geared at improving our overall health and well-being, and according to experts, a plant-based diet certainly does that and much more. Switching to a plant-based diet rich in vegetables, nuts, whole grains and legumes from a meat-heavy diet can help you stay away from a number of diseases. And, according to a new US-based study, it can also help men reduce their chances of developing bowel cancer by 22 per cent. Researchers foundno such link for women.

A new US-based study that involved nearly 80,000 men found that those who followed a healthy plant-based diet had a 22% lesser risk of bowel cancer as compared to those who ate a more meat-based diet.

The researchers couldn't find anysuch link for women, of whom 93,475 were included in the research. The study suggested that the link is clearer for men, who have an overall higher risk of bowel cancer. The findings were published in the journal BMC Medicine.

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The study’s corresponding author,Jihye Kim, from Kyung Hee University, South Korea said, "Colorectal cancer is the third most common cancer worldwide and the risk of developing colorectal cancer over a lifetime is one in 23 for men and one in 25 for women."

He added, “Although previous research has suggested that plant-based diets may play a role in preventing colorectal cancer, the impact of plant foods’ nutritional quality on this association has been unclear. Our findings suggest that eating a healthy plant-based diet is associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer.”

During the research, people were asked to reveal how often they eat certain foods from a list of more than 180 items and their portion sizes.

Participants had to choose between various options ranging “never or hardly ever” to “two or more times a day”. For drinks, the answers could range from “never or hardly ever” to “four or more times a day”.

In the study, the food groups were differentiated into three groups: healthy plant foods (whole grains, fruits, vegetables, vegetable oils, nuts, legumes such as lentils and chickpeas, tea and coffee), less healthy plant foods (refined grains, fruit juices, potatoes, added sugars), and animal foods (animal fat, dairy, eggs, fish or seafood, meat).

“We speculate that the antioxidants found in foods such as fruits, vegetables, and whole grains could contribute to lowering colorectal cancer risk by suppressing chronic inflammation, which can lead to cancer,” said Kim. “As men tend to have a higher risk of colorectal cancer than women, we propose that this could help explain why eating greater amounts of healthy plant-based foods was associated with reduced colorectal cancer risk in men but not women.”

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