Researchers from Kyung Hee University, South Korea found
that, among a population of close to 80000 American men, those who ate the
highest average daily amounts of healthy plant-based foods had a 22% lower risk
of colorectal cancer, compared to those who ate the lowest amounts of healthy
plant foods. Now we all know that colorectal cancer is
the third most common cancer worldwide and the risk of developing colorectal
cancer over a lifetime is one in 23 for men and one in 25 for women..
The authors found
that the association between the nutritional quality of plant-based diets and
colorectal cancer risk among men varied by race and ethnicity. Among Japanese
American men, colorectal cancer risk was 20% lower for those who ate the
highest amount of healthy plant foods per day than for those who ate the lowest
amount. Among white men, those who ate the highest amount of highest amount of
healthy plant foods had a 24% lower colorectal cancer risk than those who ate
the lowest amount.
So to examine the
relationship between plant-based diets and colorectal cancer risk, the authors
analysed data collected from adults. On average, male participants were aged 60
years and female participants were aged 59 years at the beginning of the study
period.
Participants
reported their usual food and drink intake and the authors assessed whether
their diets were high in plant-based foods they classified as healthy -such as
whole grains, fruits, vegetables, and legumes – or unhealthy – for example
refined grains, fruit juices, and added sugars – relative to other
participants. So these results support recommendations that shifting to a
healthy plant-based dietary pattern is important for the prevention of
colorectal cancer.
Reference:
Plant-based
dietary patterns defined by a priori indices and colorectal cancer risk by sex
and race/ethnicity: the Multiethnic Cohort Study, BMC Medicine 2022,
DOI:
10.1186/s12916-022-02623-7