Vegetarians 'avoid more cancers'

BBC News

Vegetarians are generally less likely than meat eaters to develop cancer but this does not apply to all forms of the disease, a major study has found.

The study involving 60,000 people found those who followed a vegetarian diet developed notably fewer cancers of the blood, bladder and stomach.

But the apparently protective effect of vegetarian did not seem to stretch to bowel cancer, a major killer.

The study is published in the British Journal of Cancer.

Researchers from universities in the UK and New Zealand followed 61,566 British men and women. They included meat-eaters, those who ate fish but not meat, and those who ate neither meat nor fish.


VEGETARIANS GOT NOTABLY FEWER OF THESE CANCERS:
Stomach
Bladder
Non-Hodgkin's lymphoma
Multiple myeloma

Overall, their results suggested that while in the general population about 33 people in 100 will develop cancer during their lifetime, for those who do not eat meat that risk is reduced to about 29 in 100.

Special protection?

The researchers said they found marked differences between meat-eaters and vegetarians in the propensity to cancers of the lymph and the blood, with vegetarians just over half as likely to develop these forms of the disease.

In the case of multiple myeloma, a relatively rare cancer of the bone marrow, vegetarians were 75% less likely to develop the disease than meat-eaters.


At the moment these findings are not strong enough to ask for particularly large changes in the diets of people following an average balanced diet
Professor Tim Key
Report author

The reduction was less notable for fish-eaters with these cancers. The reasons, researchers said, were unclear, but potential mechanisms could include viruses and mutation-causing compounds in meat - or alternatively that vegetables confer special protection.

There were also striking differences in rates of stomach cancer. Although the numbers of cases were small, fish-eaters and vegetarians were about a third as likely to develop the disease as meat-eaters.

Previous research has already implicated processed meats in stomach cancer, so these findings were not entirely surprising. It is thought N-nitroso compounds found in these meats may damage DNA, while the high temperatures they are cooked at may also produce carcinogens.


FROM BBC WORLD SERVICE

More from BBC World Service

But the same reduction for vegetarians was not found with cancers of the bowel, one of the most common forms of the disease. The vegetarians in the group in fact had a slightly higher rate of cancers of the colon and the rectum, although not significantly so.

But the relative risk for fish-eaters and vegetarians of cervical cancer was twice that of meat-eaters. The number of cases was small, and could be down to chance but the researchers said it was possible that dietary factors influenced the virus behind cervical cancer.

Professor Tim Key, the lead author, said it was impossible to draw strong conclusions from this one single study.

"At the moment these findings are not strong enough to ask for particularly large changes in the diets of people following an average balanced diet."

Vegetarian diets tend be lower in fat and higher in fibre, but they can require careful planning to ensure necessary protein and vitamins - notably B12, which is mainly derived from animal products - are taken in sufficient amounts.

'Complex process'

A spokesperson for Cancer Research UK, which funded the research, said: "These interesting results add to the evidence that what we eat affects our chances of developing cancer. We know that eating a lot of red and processed meat increases the risk of stomach cancer.

"But the links between diet and cancer risk are complex and more research is needed to see how big a part diet plays and which specific dietary factors are most important.

Myeloma UK said this was the first data of its kind for the bone marrow cancer "and for that reason we are treating it with caution.

"Dietary advice to myeloma patients remains aligned with national guidance - that they should eat a healthy, balanced diet high in fibre, fruit and vegetables and low in saturated fat, salt and red and processed meat."

Dr Panagiota Mitrou, Science and Research Programme Manager for the World Cancer Research Fund, said: "The suggestion that vegetarians might be at reduced risk of blood cancers is particularly interesting.

"However, this finding should be treated with caution since not much is known about the link between diet and these types of cancer. Further studies of vegetarians are needed before we can be confident this is actually the case."

If you eat animals, you eat animals.

This is an excerpt from an LA Times article and it made me re-think some things. We do place animals into "moral categories" and eat things we don't feel bad about.

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Koreans have eaten dogs for centuries and, for years foreign advocates have protested the practice. But the Koreans dismissed these protests as “unwanted opinions of outsiders.” Now that the country has adopted more of the Western culture, there are more “pet” owners than ever. And Won-bok wants people to know what is going on with the dogs.

“People don’t comprehend the suffering these dogs endure…they may vaguely realize that people still eat dogs. But they need to know what happens to the animals.”

And, he remains optimistic saying, “South Koreans (are starting to) question their cultural traditions.” But not all South Koreans.

The cuisine remains popular among some government officials. Cham Lee, known to enjoy dog dishes, is director of the Korean Tourism Organization. Ironically, he also raises Korean Jindo dogs as companion animals. Lee even had a private wine and dog-tasting seminar, deciding that dog goes best with a light Shiraz or Riesling. Lee was criticized for the tasting.

Lee had this to say, “Parisians can eat horse meat because France is considered high culture. But South Korea gets no such pass. Westerners eat one type of animal and tell the world they can’t eat another. I say, if you eat animals, you eat animals.”

And, I’d have to agree with him on that one point (and one point only). If you eat animals, you eat animals – it doesn’t matter which species you choose. We must stop placing animals into moral categories and making excuses for the human palate. All sentient life deserves better.

Won-bok has pledged to campaign for the dogs, exposing the cruel conditions the dogs endure, until dog-eating ends in his country.

via latimes.com

So far, so good

3 weeks in to the vegan diet and I feel great. The first two weeks were rough though; I had a huge rock in my stomach and wanted to die. I can only attribute this to taking away yogurt and and cheese (and the good bacteria that helps your digestion) and adding a ton more fiber and protein. "Soy stomach". Aside from the digestion issues, I wasn't eating enough leafy vegetables, so my nails started getting frail.

How did I fix this? Eventually things started normalizing on their own when I stopped eating too much of the same foods. Balancing protein with good fruits, vegetables, and nuts did the trick. I also started taking a vegan multivitamin so I could supplement what I wasn't getting from food. The big one is the Pro biotic tablet, which started replenishing the beneficial bacteria I used to get from yogurt. I also realized you can get dairy-free yogurt, and there is a really delicious one made with coconut milk, which have those active cultures as well.

I highly recommend a vegan multivitamin and pro biotic, and I also take green tea for my metabolism. Now I feel incredibly healthy and filled with energy.

Favorite Vegan Food Products

My food staples so far-

Vegenaise
Tofutti better than cream cheese
Tofutti Better Than Sour Cream
Veggy Slices
Earth Balance margarine and sticks
Nutritional Yeast
Rice dream milk, vanilla
Yves Meatless Deli Salami
Carrot Cake rice dream ice cream
Lots of nuts, fruit, vegetables, and dairy free breads.

A big concern of mine was to not benefit from the wonder that is yogurt. Little did I know you can order a probiotic capsules and get the same results (regulated digestion). Gross, yes, but necessary!

Vegan Mac & Cheeze

This recipe turned out KILLER and was so effing easy.

EASY Garlic Mac & Cheeze

1 cups of rice milk
1/2 cup of water
1 tablespoon light soy sauce
1 cup of nutritional yeast
1 tablespoon paprika
1 tablespoon garlic powder
1 tablespoon salt
1/4 block firm tofu, diced
1/2 cup earth balance
8 oz of macaroni pasta
Garlic salt
Relatively large baking pan
blender


Directions:

1) Pre-heat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit.
2) Boil water in a big pot for the pasta.
3) Blend all ingredients (except garlic salt) until smooth.
4) Add pasta to pan and pour blended stuff on top.
5) Sprinkle some nutritional yeast on top
6) Sprinkle garlic salt on top, more later to taste if desired.
7) Bake for about 30 minutes or until most of liquid is absorbed.

Serves about 5

First Post

My name is Sonja. After 14 years of vegetarianism and sometimes even pescatarianism, I found it high time to make the change to a vegan lifestyle. I've found that researching the topic is fun and interesting, and I wanted to share and document my experiences for myself and others.

I will start this off by saying that I have switched this blog from what it was previously, City Bitching, to my new obsession: vegan bitching. I will be pretty bitchy for a while having removed cheese from my diet. But seriously, this will be a place where I discover & share the ins and outs of vegan dining, cooking, and health knowledge related to the diet.