Vegan life reduces prostate cancer risk by 35 percent
For years there have been discussions about the pros and cons of vegan food. This diet avoids all foods of animal origin. Researchers now discovered that a vegan diet could lower the risk of prostate cancer. According to the latest findings, the probability of such a disease is falling by up to 35 percent.
Vegans do not feed on foods that are of animal origin. A vegan diet dispenses, for example, with all dairy and meat products. This form of nutrition seems to have a positive side effect on our health. Researchers from Loma Linda University (USA) have now found in an investigation that the risk of prostate cancer in a vegan diet is reduced by up to 35 percent. The physicians published the results of their study in the journal "The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition".
(Image: royaltystockphoto / fotolia.com)Study examines 26,000 men
A vegan diet avoids all dairy and meat products and focuses on the consumption of vegetables, fruits, legumes, nuts, seeds and whole grains. Previous studies have already shown that a diet free of meat can lower our risk of colon cancer, say the experts. A new study, funded by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), examined whether there are any significant associations between vegan diets, fish-based diets, meat-based diets, and the risk of prostate cancer.
The researchers from Loma Linda University analyzed the eating habits of 26,000 men. They found 1,079 cases of prostate cancer. Only eight percent of male participants were followers of a vegan diet, the doctors say. The new study successfully collected data on the relationship between eating habits and the prevention of prostate cancer. Further investigations could lead to new techniques of prevention, so the scientists hope. However, more research is needed to better understand the relationship between the vegan diet and cancer, the experts add.
Radiotherapy increases risk of secondary malignancies
In another recent study published in the British Medical Journal, researchers found a link between the radiotherapy treatment of prostate cancer and the increased risk of developing secondary malignant diseases of the rectum, bladder and colorectal cancer. tract. Health experts from the US and Canada had studied the effects of radiotherapy for the treatment of prostate cancer. For this they analyzed the data from 21 independent studies.
The research team advises physicians to consider the risks of secondary malignancies when prostate cancer is still at an early stage given the results. Physicians should review whether the benefits of radiotherapy can offset the potential risks, say the experts.
Early prevention is the key to success
Ultimately, physicians and patients must then jointly decide whether, for example, the approximately 1.4 to 1.7-fold increase in the relative risk of secondary malignancy after 10 years of delay justifies alternative treatments, Dr. Christine Eyler from Harvard University opposite the British newspaper "The Telegraph". Prostate cancer is the most common male cancer in men in the UK, affecting more than 47,000 men annually. About 10,000 deaths annually are associated with the disease in the UK, the scientists say. Early prevention is the key to reducing the number of people who contract prostate cancer every year, the doctors add. (As)