According t to the World Health Organization, Cancer caused “10 million deaths in 2020, or nearly one in six deaths.” Also “around one-third of deaths from cancer are due to tobacco use, high body mass index, alcohol consumption, low fruit and vegetable intake, and lack of physical activity.” And that the most common cancers are breast, lung, colon, rectum, and prostate cancers.
Here’s the compelling science-backed health data that I’ve found so far. Please let me know if I’ve made any mistakes so I can remove or correct the incorrect sections.
Table of Contents
Cancer
All Cancers
- Diet & Lifestle [2017, Nov]
A Meta-Analysis of: 86 cross-sectional and 10 cohort prospective studies of over 56,000 subjects.- This comprehensive meta-analysis concluded that a “[v]egan diet conferred a significant reduced risk (-15%) of incidence from total cancer.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26853923/
- This comprehensive meta-analysis concluded that a “[v]egan diet conferred a significant reduced risk (-15%) of incidence from total cancer.”
- Diet & Lifestyle: Vegan [2013, Feb]
A Review Study of: 2,939 participants of the Adventist Health Study-2 match with COX cancer registry.- This meta-review found that “[w]hen analyzing the association of specific vegetarian dietary patterns, vegan diets showed statistically significant protection for overall cancer incidence in both genders combined and for female-specific cancers.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23169929/
- This meta-review found that “[w]hen analyzing the association of specific vegetarian dietary patterns, vegan diets showed statistically significant protection for overall cancer incidence in both genders combined and for female-specific cancers.”
Breast Cancer
- Risk Factors [2013, Apr]
A Case-Controlled Study of: 188 women in hospital.- This controlled study with 188 patients concluded that “[t]he study suggests that non vegetarian diet is the important risk factor for Breast Cancer and the risk of Breast Cancer is more in educated women as compared with the illiterate women.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23878422/
- This controlled study with 188 patients concluded that “[t]he study suggests that non vegetarian diet is the important risk factor for Breast Cancer and the risk of Breast Cancer is more in educated women as compared with the illiterate women.”
- Plant-Based Diet & Lifestyle [2013, Dec]
A Comparative Study of: 91,779 women including 4,190 with invasive breast cancer.- This cohort says that “[t]he finding that greater consumption of a plant-based dietary pattern is associated with a reduced breast cancer risk, particularly for ER-PR- tumors, offers a potential avenue for prevention.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/24108781/
- This cohort says that “[t]he finding that greater consumption of a plant-based dietary pattern is associated with a reduced breast cancer risk, particularly for ER-PR- tumors, offers a potential avenue for prevention.”
- Vegan & Vegetarian Diet & Lifestyle [2013, Feb]
An Epidemiological Cohort Study of: 69,120 participants.- This meta-review study found that a “[v]egan diet seems to confer lower risk for overall and female-specific cancer than other dietary patterns. The lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets seem to confer protection from cancers of the gastrointestinal tract.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23169929/
- This meta-review study found that a “[v]egan diet seems to confer lower risk for overall and female-specific cancer than other dietary patterns. The lacto-ovo-vegetarian diets seem to confer protection from cancers of the gastrointestinal tract.”
Digestive Cancers
- Diet & Lifestyle [2022, June]
A Meta-Analysis of: cohort or case-control studies on more than 3,000,000 subjects.- In this Meta-Analysis Based on over 3 million subjects looking at a plant-based diet vs digestive cancers. They concluded: “[p]lant-based diets were protective against cancers of the digestive system, with no significant differences between different types of cancer,” and that “[t]he overall analysis concluded that plant-based diets played a protective role in the risk of digestive system neoplasms. Subgroup analyses demonstrated that the plant-based diets reduced the risk of cancers, especially pancreatic, colorectal , rectal and colon cancers, in cohort studies. The correlation between vegan and other plant-based diets was compared using Z-tests, and the results showed no difference.”
https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/public-health/
articles/10.3389/fpubh.2022.892153/
- In this Meta-Analysis Based on over 3 million subjects looking at a plant-based diet vs digestive cancers. They concluded: “[p]lant-based diets were protective against cancers of the digestive system, with no significant differences between different types of cancer,” and that “[t]he overall analysis concluded that plant-based diets played a protective role in the risk of digestive system neoplasms. Subgroup analyses demonstrated that the plant-based diets reduced the risk of cancers, especially pancreatic, colorectal , rectal and colon cancers, in cohort studies. The correlation between vegan and other plant-based diets was compared using Z-tests, and the results showed no difference.”
Prostate Cancer
- Diet & Liefstyle [2016, Jan]
A Cohort study of: 26,346 male participants of the Adventist Health Study-2.- “Vegan diets may confer a lower risk of prostate cancer. This lower estimated risk is seen in both white and black vegan subjects, although in the latter, the CI is wider and includes the null.”
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26561618/
- “Vegan diets may confer a lower risk of prostate cancer. This lower estimated risk is seen in both white and black vegan subjects, although in the latter, the CI is wider and includes the null.”
- Risks: Dairy [2019, Oct]
A Peer Review Study of: 29 cohort studies > 550,000 people; 13 case-control studies, 4 meta-analyses, and 1 population study.
PCa = Prostate Cancer.”- This review of the literature suggests that consumption of higher amounts of plant-based foods may be associated with decreased PCa risk, and consumption of higher amounts of dairy products may be associated with increased PCa risk.“
https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31633743/
- This review of the literature suggests that consumption of higher amounts of plant-based foods may be associated with decreased PCa risk, and consumption of higher amounts of dairy products may be associated with increased PCa risk.“