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CommentaryCan a Vegetarian Diet Help Prevent Colon Cancer? This letter to the editor ran Apr. 3, 2006 in the Southbridge Evening News To the Editor: Can a vegetarian diet help prevent colon cancer? Research has shown that people who regularly eat red or processed meat are up to 50 percent more likely to develop colon cancer than those who avoid meat, and a crossover study recently published in the journal Cancer Research confirmed that a plant-based diet can play a key role in cancer prevention. Study participants were put on a vegetarian, red meat, or red meat and high-fiber diet for 15 days. The red meat diet resulted in significantly higher levels of N-nitrosocompounds—compounds that can alter DNA and increase the risk of developing colon cancer—than the vegetarian diet. The red meat, high-fiber diet resulted in lower levels of N-nitrosocompounds than the red meat diet, but not as low as with the vegetarian diet. This data suggests that fiber, which is found only in plant foods, may play a protective role by repairing damaged DNA and decreasing the amount of time harmful compounds stay in the colon.
Colorectal cancer is the second most common cancer worldwide, but it doesn’t have to be. A meatless diet rich in fiber, fruits, and vegetables may be our strongest ally in the fight against colon cancer. Sincerely,
Jennifer K. Reilly, R.D.
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