Are Vegetarians Healthier?

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Research shows that people who eat a low-fat vegetarian diet have a much lower risk of developing cancer. Fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and legumes all have important nutrients and other cancer-fighting substances, like phytochemicals and pectin, that strengthen immune function and destroy cancer-causing substances before they can cause harm. Carotenoids, the pigment that gives fruits and vegetables their dark colors, have been shown to help prevent cancer. Beta-carotene, present in dark green and yellow vegetables, helps protect against lung cancer and may help prevent cancers of the bladder, mouth, larynx, esophagus, breast, and other sites. These are just a few examples of plant foods that contain cancer-fighting compounds.

Strong links have been found between the consumption of meats and other fatty foods and various types of cancer. Large-scale studies in England and Germany have shown that vegetarians are about 40 percent less likely to develop cancer compared to meat-eaters. Breast cancer rates are dramatically lower in nations that follow mainly plant-based diets. Interestingly, Japanese women who follow a Western-style, meat-based diet are eight times more likely to develop breast cancer than women who follow a more traditional plant-based diet.

The American Institute for Cancer Research and the World Cancer Research Fund released a landmark report late last year on nutrition and cancer risk, which concluded that red meat and processed meats increase cancer risk. The researchers reviewed all existing data on nutrition and cancer risk and concluded that processed meat increases one's risk of colorectal cancer, on average, by 21 percent for every 50 grams of processed meat consumed daily. The report recommends eating mostly plant foods to prevent cancer.

In addition to containing cancer-fighting substances, fruits and vegetables are also high in fiber. Studies have also shown that colon cancer, stomach cancer, and breast cancer are less common on high-fiber diets. Animal products contain no fiber.

The best diet for cancer prevention is a vegetarian diet that is low in fat and high in fiber and includes a variety of fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and beans.