Analysis of 13-Year Data Finds Multiple Cancer Risk Reductions in Vegans

From vegconomist.com

A large North American cohort study has found that vegan diets are associated with lower risks of several cancer types, including some that are less frequently examined in dietary research.

The study, published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition and conducted by Loma Linda University, analysed data from 79,468 Seventh-day Adventists in the United States and Canada, with participants enrolled for up to 13 years. Around 8% of the cohort were vegans, making this one of the largest cancer datasets available for this dietary group.

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Consistent reductions across several cancer types

Vegan participants had a 24% lower overall risk of developing cancer compared to non-vegetarians in the same religious community. Reductions were even greater for certain cancer types:

• Breast cancer: 25% lower risk overall, with the effect most pronounced in younger women.
• Prostate cancer: 43% lower risk in younger men.
• Stomach cancer: reduced incidence, although fewer cases meant less statistical precision.
• Lymphomas: lower risk, particularly among older vegan participants.

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Lead researcher Gary Fraser, MBChB, PhD, said the study offers some of the most detailed evidence to date on the relationship between vegan diets and less common cancers, such as lymphomas. “It may also be pointing the finger at several other cancers — such as lung, ovary, and pancreas — where the evidence from this study was suggestive of lower risk in vegetarians, but did not quite reach the necessary standard to say more,” Fraser said.

Greater impact possible in general public

The findings were derived from comparisons within a population already known for healthier-than-average lifestyles. Earlier analyses have shown that non-vegetarian Adventists have about a 25% lower cancer risk than the general US population, while vegan Adventists have about a 35% lower risk.

Fraser noted that one of the study’s strengths is its large number of vegan participants, a group rarely represented in sufficient numbers in cancer incidence research. However, he cautioned that as an observational study, it cannot prove causation.

The study was funded by Loma Linda University, with earlier cohort establishment supported by the US National Cancer Institute and the UK’s World Cancer Research Fund.

https://vegconomist.com/studies-numbers/analysis-13-year-data-finds-multiple-cancer-risk-reductions-vegans/