Mayo Clinic: How plant-based food helps fight cancer

When researchers asked nearly 70,000 volunteers about their diets, then tracked them over time, they found lower cancer rates among people who didn't eat meat at all. In fact, vegans appeared to have the lowest rates of cancer of any diet. Next in line were vegetarians, who avoid meat but may eat fish or foods that come from animals, such as milk or eggs.

MAYO CLINIC: Cancer is the second-leading cause of death in the U.S. But estimates suggest that as many as a third of cases could be prevented with diet and nutrition alone. The recipe? Many experts recommend filling your plate with foods that grow from the ground. Decades of research suggests that the best diet for cancer prevention is all about plants. That means lots of fruits, vegetables and legumes, and little to no meat or other animal products…

For many Americans, meals center around the meat. After all the Department of Agriculture reports that 222 pounds of meat are sold per person per year in the U.S. But when researchers asked nearly 70,000 volunteers about their diets, then tracked them over time, they found lower cancer rates among people who didn’t eat meat at all.

In fact, vegans — those who don’t eat any animal products including fish, dairy or eggs — appeared to have the lowest rates of cancer of any diet. Next in line were vegetarians, who avoid meat but may eat fish or foods that come from animals, such as milk or eggs…

The natural questions: Are vegetarians more resistant to cancer because they don’t eat meat? Or is it because of what they eat instead? It’s true plant-based foods, such as fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts and whole grains, are packed with nutrition. And research has also shown that eating lots of them is linked with lower cancer rates.

An explanation: Plants produce many phytochemicals (literally, plant chemicals) that may protect cells from damage. Phytochemicals have many beneficial effects, including that they are anti-inflammatory, says Murad.

Another way plant-based foods may prevent cancer is by boosting fiber consumption. Young women who ate the most fiber-rich diets were 25% less likely to get breast cancer later in life, a study found. Other research finds that each 10 grams of daily fiber could lower the risk of colorectal cancer by 10%.

Or it could be even simpler still, suggests Murad. “When people eat a more plant-based diet, they naturally consume fewer calories, which helps to maintain a healthy weight.” Vegetarians are less likely to be overweight, a known risk factor for some types of cancers…

So what’s the problem with meat? Eating more of it has been shown to increase the risk of dying from all causes. But research also suggests a link between meat and cancer… A key reason: Chemical compounds created when red meat is cooked are thought to be cancer causing. Compounds in processed meat also seem to contribute. SOURCE…

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