A major new study involving over 1.8 million participants has found that individuals following vegetarian diets have a significantly lower risk of developing five common types of cancer: myeloma, pancreatic, prostate, breast, and kidney cancer. The research, published in the British Journal of Cancer, is the most comprehensive investigation to date examining the link between meat consumption and cancer incidence.
The study, coordinated by the Unit of Epidemiology at Oxford Population Health and funded by the World Cancer Research Fund (WCRF), tracked the health records of individuals across Europe, the Americas, and Asia for an average of 16 years. Participants included vegetarians, vegans, pescatarians, and those who consumed meat and poultry. Researchers, led by Dr. Aurora Pérez-Cornago, found that vegetarians experienced a 21% lower risk of pancreatic cancer, a 12% lower risk of prostate cancer, and a 9% lower risk of breast cancer compared to meat-eaters.
The risk reduction extended to other cancers as well. Vegetarians demonstrated a 28% lower risk of kidney cancer and a 31% lower risk of myeloma, a cancer of plasma cells. These five cancers collectively account for approximately one-fifth of all cancer deaths in the United Kingdom, according to the study.
“This is very good news for people who follow a vegetarian diet, because they have a lower risk of five types of cancer, some of which are very common in the population,” said Dr. Pérez-Cornago. The research team emphasized that these findings remained consistent even after controlling for factors such as body mass index, smoking habits, and other known risk factors.
The study also examined the impact of other dietary patterns. Individuals following a pescatarian diet – including fish but excluding meat – showed a reduced risk of breast, kidney, and bowel cancer. Those who consumed only poultry, without red or processed meat, exhibited a lower risk of prostate cancer. These observations suggest that selectively excluding certain types of meat may have varying effects on cancer incidence.
Still, the research also revealed potential risks associated with vegetarian diets. Vegetarians had nearly double the risk of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, the most common type of esophageal cancer, compared to meat-eaters. Researchers attributed this difference to potential nutritional deficiencies, specifically a lack of B vitamins. “The team suggested that this could be due to vegetarians having a deficiency of essential nutrients such as B vitamins,” the study noted.
Vegans, who exclude all animal products, showed a 40% higher risk of colorectal cancer compared to meat-eaters. Researchers cautioned that this finding was based on a smaller number of cases and should be interpreted with caution, suggesting a possible link to lower calcium intake. The average calcium consumption among vegans in the study was 590mg per day, below the recommended 700mg daily intake in the United Kingdom.
Epidemiologist Tim Key, a co-investigator on the study, suggested the increased risk of colorectal cancer among vegans may be linked to the absence of meat in their diets, but acknowledged that this connection requires further investigation. He noted that whereas a link between red and processed meat consumption and colorectal cancer risk is well-established, the current study did not find conclusive evidence of lower risk among vegetarians.
The study included data from 1,640,000 meat-eaters, 57,016 poultry consumers, 42,910 pescatarians, 63,147 vegetarians, and 8,849 vegans, allowing researchers to investigate 17 different types of cancer. The findings reinforce international recommendations promoting diets rich in fruits, vegetables, and fiber, while discouraging the consumption of processed meats.
The burden of cancer in Europe remains substantial. Estimates for 2026 project nearly 2.7 million new cancer diagnoses across the European Union, despite a 1.7% decrease in incidence compared to 2022. The most prevalent cancers continue to be breast, prostate, colorectal, and lung cancers, accounting for almost half of all cases.
