A plant-based diet can reduce the risk of bowel cancer in men by 22 percent

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A study of nearly 80,000 American men found that a diet rich in vegetables, whole grains, oilseeds, and legumes may reduce men’s bowel cancer risk compared to men who ate the least amount of these healthy plants. In the case of the 93,000 women participating in the research, this connection was not established. According to the researchers, the link is more evident in men, who already have a higher chance of developing bowel cancer. The study was published in the medical journal BMC Medicine. Colorectal cancer is the third most common form of cancer worldwide, occurring in 1 in 23 men and 1 in 25 women during their lifetime – wrote the authors of the study, colleagues from Kyonghi University in South Korea.

The subject has already been researched before

Previous research has shown that a plant-based diet may have an effect in the prevention of colon cancer, but the effect was not clear. “Our results suggest that a healthy, plant-based diet is related to the risk of colon cancer,” they wrote. For the study, participants were asked how often and in what amounts they consumed certain foods and beverages based on a list of more than 180 items. Foods are of healthy plant origin (whole grain cereals, fruits, vegetables, vegetable oils, legumes, tea, coffee), less healthy plant origin (refined cereals, fruit juices, potatoes, added sugar) and animal origin (animal fat, dairy products, eggs, fish and marine animals, meat) were classified into food groups. “We hypothesize that the antioxidants in fruits, vegetables, and whole grains act against chronic inflammation that leads to cancer, thereby reducing the risk of cancer,” the researchers wrote.

MTI