Healthy plant-based diets linked with lower colorectal cancer risk in men

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