Studies show a low-meat and lean diet associated with lowering the risk of cancer

People who eat with a small amount of meat — or There is no meat — A new study found that the risk of developing certain cancers is low.

Several types of cancer, including Colorectal cancer, Diet may be a major lifestyle factor contributing to the risk of illness. But for other cancers, Breast cancer When Prostate cancerAccording to experts, it’s not clear how direct the link really is.

Studies published this week BMC medicineWe analyzed data from more than 470,000 people collected as part of the UK Biobank Medical Database Project. None of the participants had cancer when they were hired.

Over half of the participants reported that they were regular meat eaters. That is, I ate processed meats, lean meats, or chicken more than five times a week.An additional 205,000 participants were categorized as follows: Low carnivorousThat is, I ate less than 5 times a week.There were about 11,000 pescatarians There are 8,700 vegetarians in the study. (446 Vegan In the study it was included in the vegetable group. )

Their results showed that after more than 10 years of follow-up, regular carnivores were at increased risk of all cancers compared to other diet groups. People who eat a low-meat diet, especially men, have a lower risk of colorectal cancer, vegetarian postmenopausal women have a lower risk of breast cancer, and vegetarians or pescetarianism have a lower risk of men’s prostate cancer. Was related to that.

“The message of takeaway is that the risk of cancer can be lower between vegetarians and pediatricians,” Watling said, but more, especially in a larger group of vegetarians. He added that research is needed. A research and doctoral student at the Cancer Epidemiology Unit at Oxford University said today.

Watling said the results are interesting, but he is careful to make actual recommendations based on the findings. “I don’t know if we’re still at that stage,” he said.

This study is well based on previous studies from another study Major research projects Stephen Hursting, a professor of nutrition and the Rheinberger Comprehensive Cancer Center at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, said today that he has investigated cancer risk in 10 European countries. “It clearly suggests that vegetarians have a low risk of cancer, but it was not cancer site-specific,” he explained.

A new study reveals that a lean diet may prevent certain types of cancer, especially colorectal cancer, breast cancer in postmenopausal women, and prostate cancer, according to Hursting. By doing so, it has been added to these discoveries. And because researchers are pulling from UK Biobank data, “this gets better and better” over time, says Hursting, who can pull more from that dataset. “It’s like we’re getting the first taste of early wine. As it gets older, it’s going to get stronger and stronger.”

Dr. Steven K. Clinton, a professor of oncology and urology at Ohio State University, said today that the results of this study are largely in line with other “hundreds” of papers on diet and cancer risk. Said. “This is one of many papers that fits the conclusion that we should focus on healthy eating patterns (which help prevent cancer).”

However, there were some restrictions. Clinton said the carnivorous measurement in this study was “a kind of crude way to see things.” A one-time measurement based on a self-reported questionnaire included not only all types of meat, but all types of meat. Processed meat When Red meatFor example, it is more often associated with cancer and other health problems than lean poultry.

And this study did not consider the possibility that participants may have changed their diet over the years. Mr. Hursting also noted that the survey could not identify how the participants prepared the meat they ate.

“That’s definitely the limit of this study,” Watling said. “So, no doubt, the individual may have changed their diet, which may be affecting the results we have observed.”

For some associations, other variables may be working. “Maybe some people at the far end of the spectrum, especially those who eat a lot of lean and processed meats, may have other health behaviors that affect this result,” Clinton said. Said. For example, both smoking and drinking rates were higher among meat eaters than in other groups.

Diet can be an important factor in cancer risk, but “there are multiple factors in whether someone develops cancer for a lifetime,” said registered dietitian and founder of KAK Consulting, LLC. President Kristin Kirkpatrick said today. This could include these other behaviors (smoking, drinking), as well as genetic and environmental factors, she said.

In the case of postmenopausal breast cancer, participants’ BMI seemed to explain much of the association between diet and cancer risk. “This is an established risk factor, but I’m not sure if there’s a lot of data on whether a plant-based diet is protective regardless of body weight,” Hursting said. “Their data say they probably aren’t. It’s really switching to a more vegetarian diet that helps women better control their weight, and that’s what drives risk reduction. am.”

The reduction in prostate cancer that researchers saw among vegetarians was also interesting and puzzling. “Usually we don’t see these significant reductions,” says Hursting. However, Clinton pointed out that vegetarians in this study are far less likely to be screened than meat eaters, but Watling said it’s not clear why. ..

“Well, there’s an important factor. You can’t find cancer without screening,” Clinton said. “So I really can’t put a lot of credit on it.”

According to Clinton, it’s important to remember that a meat-rich diet may be deficient in many other nutritious foods, such as vegetables and whole grains. However, the current study only looked at the amount of meat that participants ate.

According to Clinton, our focus should really be on the overall balance of the foods we eat, rather than trying to eat more or less a particular food. “The whole dietary pattern is probably more important than any food,” he said. “And one can choose a healthy diet pattern that still contains lean meat.” Even people who have had colorectal cancer in the past can relapse after eating lean meat. It does not necessarily affect sex. New research I will propose.

Current guidelines from the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Cancer Research Association have already recommended lMimics processed meat and lean meat Clinton said it helps prevent cancer. Among other lifestyle goals, the guidelines also suggest limiting alcohol, reducing fast food, staying physically active, and eating more vegetables, whole grains, beans, and fruits.

“I tell patients to look at lean meat, just like dessert,” Kirkpatrick said. “I always say,’Listen, if you like cheeseburgers once in a while, I don’t know why you have to cut it, but let’s define what it looks like.’ They may suggest that they have cheeseburgers only twice a month, or replace them with whole-grain bread or add nutritious foods such as mushrooms and onions on top. Consider fine-tuning the recipe.

In fact, Hursting said the field is increasingly moving towards precision nutrition. National Institute of Health We have just funded centers across the United States to further investigate these issues. “Ultimately, in the food and nutrition sector, we want to move from general public health guidelines (which we know are good) to more personal, defined recommendations.” Clinton said.