A new study suggests that vegetarian diets which rely on fish for protein intake has the probability of leading to a lower rate of colorectal cancer. This US based study was published in the Internal Medicine section of The Journal of the American Medical Association. The lead author of the study Dr. Michael Orlich, an assistant professor in medicine and public health at Loma Linda University in California acknowledged that the research team was astonished to see the remarkable difference in people who consumed vegetables, fruit and fish and the people on other types of veggie diets.
This study was carried out among Seventh-Day Adventists following a religion that calls for an alcohol-free and smoke-free diet life along with a healthy diet. This may bring about biasness but it facilitated a long-term follow up on the topic with a mid level interval of 7.3 years.
This study was conducted with the help of 77,659 people all over U.S. who answered diet-related questions along with their medical records and cancer registers being analyzed in order to trace the connection between food habits and cancer occurrence. 380 cases of colon cancer and 110 cases of rectal cancer were reported in the 7 year interval and it showed that vegetarians had 22% lesser chance of being caught up with cancer compared to regular meat eaters.
The team adds “The evidence that vegetarian diets similar to those of our study participants may be associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, along with prior evidence of potential reduced risk of obesity, hypertension, diabetes and mortality, should be considered carefully in making dietary choices and in giving dietary guidance.”
Dr Leonard Saltz chief of the gastrointestinal oncology service at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York commented that one does not have to turn vegan to reduce their risks of cancer, eating moderately seems to the best option. The inclusion of fruits, vegetables and seafood as a primary part of the diet then that doesn’t have to be their exclusive content.
“We’re not saying you’re committing suicide if you have a cheeseburger, but it should be a treat, not a regular occurrence.” – Dr. Saltz advises.
The study carried out by Dr Orlich is not inevitably decisive as it was not based on the arbitrary selection of individuals followed by randomly passing on certain diets to them. But nonetheless it was big enough to present with some concrete evidence to support diet recommendations.
