Health · 27 February 2026
Vegetarian diet cuts 5 cancer risks, but one type doubles
Photo by Orkun Orcan on Unsplash
The largest ever study of non-meat diets and cancer, led by Oxford Population Health and published in the British Journal of Cancer, found vegetarians have a 21% lower risk of pancreatic cancer and a 9% lower risk of breast cancer compared with meat eaters. They also had a 12% reduced risk of prostate cancer, a 28% lower risk of kidney cancer and a 31% lower risk of multiple myeloma. However, vegetarians were found to have nearly double the risk of squamous cell carcinoma of the oesophagus, which researchers said may be due to lower intake of certain nutrients found in animal foods.
Reported by Sky News · How we write briefs