Cancer is a leading cause of death, prompting scientists to constantly seek solutions for prevention. Among the risk factors, diet plays a crucial role, directly impacting the ability to prevent the disease.
A large-scale study recently published in the British medical journal Journal of Cancer has found that one diet can help reduce the incidence of several types of cancer.
The study was led by experts at the Cancer Epidemiology Unit of the University of Oxford Medical School (UK), with funding from the World Cancer Research Fund. The authors compiled data from more than 1.8 million people from three continents, including Europe, the Americas, and Asia, who were followed for 16 years.
Researchers compared the risk of developing 17 different types of cancer across five different diets:
- Eat meat.
- Eat poultry (avoid red meat or processed meat).
- Eat fish and seafood.
- A vegetarian diet includes eggs and dairy.
- Eat vegan.
To prevent cancer, prioritize plant-based foods and limit red meat, especially processed meat. Illustration: AI
Dietary choices that help reduce the risk of cancer.
The results showed that compared to eating red and processed meat, a vegetarian diet that includes eggs and dairy helps reduce:
- 31% risk of multiple myeloma (a type of blood cancer).
- 28% risk of kidney cancer.
- 21% risk of pancreatic cancer.
- 12% risk of prostate cancer.
- 9% risk of breast cancer, according to the British Journal of Cancer.
Researchers explain that these positive results may stem from the fact that vegetarians tend to consume more fruits, vegetables, and fiber, and avoid processed meats.
Specifically for colon cancer, while eating fish and seafood reduces the risk by 15%, a vegetarian diet that includes eggs and dairy increases the risk, as does the risk of esophageal cancer. Researchers explain that this may be due to the lack of certain nutrients found only in animal products.
What have other studies found?
A study published in August 2025 in The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, conducted by the Loma Linda University School of Medicine (USA), involved 79,468 participants followed for nearly eight years and found that compared to non-vegetarian diets, vegetarianism helped reduce:
- 12% risk of developing cancer in general.
- 45% risk of stomach cancer.
- 25% risk of lymphoma.
- 21% risk of colorectal cancer.
Thus, while there are some differences regarding colorectal and esophageal cancers, overall, focusing on plant-based foods and limiting red and processed meats actually helps reduce the risk of many types of cancer.
Researchers have concluded that to prevent cancer, plant-based foods should be prioritized and red meat, especially processed meat, should be limited. They also emphasized the important differences between types of cancer and the role of different diets.