Photo: Agnieszka Walędziak via StockSnap, public domain.
People whose diets leaned most toward plant foods had a 15% lower risk of cancer overall, a 32% lower risk of digestive cancers and a 53% lower risk of lung cancer, compared with those who ate the most animal products, a large French study has found.
The Nutritional Epidemiology Research Team (Inserm, INRA, Cnam and Paris 13 University), led by Mathilde Touvier, followed 42,544 adults aged 45 and over in the NutriNet-Santé cohort between 2009 and 2016. Everyone completed at least three detailed 24-hour food records, and 1,591 cancers were diagnosed. A score measured how much of each person's diet came from plant rather than animal foods. The study is published in the International Journal of Cancer. No clear link was found for breast or prostate cancer.
Most participants were omnivores, so the result shows the benefit of simply tipping the balance toward plants. The authors conclude:
This large cohort study supports a beneficial role of higher intakes of plant-based products along with lower intakes of animal products, within a balanced omnivorous diet, regarding primary cancer prevention.
More fruit, vegetables, legumes and whole grains, and less meat, looks like a wise trade.
It adds to the research showing blood from vegans is far more protective against cancer cells and the study linking just 9 grams of processed meat a day to breast cancer.
Every plant on your plate is working for you!