A long-term study published in the British Journal of Cancer in 2009 looked at cancer and nutrition and found that vegetarians are less likely to develop cancer of the blood than meat eaters and are less likely to develop cancer overall. (The study looked at vegetarians, fish eaters and people who ate meat.) 1
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**It should also be noted that the study also found that the incidence of cancer was significantly lower with both the fish eaters and the vegetarians, compared with meat eaters.**
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“The findings were based on a study of 61,566 people that scientists followed over a 12 year period. During that time, it was found that 6.8% of meat eaters (2,204 of 32,403), 4.0% of vegetarians (829 of 20,601) and 3.7% of people who ate fish but no meat (317 of 8,562) were diagnosed with cancer.”2
Over the last decade, there have been a series of reports put out to discourage too much meat in the diet. In fact, the World Cancer Research Fund recommended that to combat the link between red and processed meat and bowel cancer, people not eat more than 300g a week. (Which, by the way, ISN’T EVEN A POUND. And the recommendation was not to eat more than a pound…in a WEEK.) British meat intake is about 970g a week for men and about 550g a week for women.
“In 2005, the Epic study, funded by the Medical Research Council, Cancer Research UK and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, concluded that eating just two portions of red meat a day – the equivalent of a bacon sandwich and a fillet steak – increased the risk of bowel cancer by 35%. It found that eating fibre, in the form of vegetables, fruit and wholegrain cereals, lessened the risk of cancer and that fish, eaten at least every other day, was also protective.”3
We understand that not everyone wants to live a plant-based life. However, it seems that research is continuing to prove that too much red or processed meat in the diet leads to dis-ease. And in this case, cancer.
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However, you can make small changes now that will help prevent disease, like eating less meat. I changed my diet years ago and have never been happier or healthier. Check out my story here.
