Eating Less Meat is Associated With Lower Cancer Risk

Protein is an essential part of a balanced diet, and most meats are perfectly healthy when consumed in moderation. Unfortunately, moderation is something that many of us tend to struggle with; in fact, the average American consumes about 274 pounds of meat each year, and that figure doesn’t even take into account meat from seafood.

According to a new study, though, reducing how much meat you consume may also reduce your cancer risk. In this article, we will discuss what the research has to say about the link between meat consumption and cancer risk as well as the additional health benefits of reduced meat consumption.

The Link Between Meat Consumption and Cancer Risk

In a 2022 study that was published by BMC Medicine, researchers surveyed and followed 472,000 participants aged 40-70. Participants were asked to self-report how much meat they consume each week on average and were asked to also report the types of meat that they consume.

52% of the study’s participants reported eating meat more than five times per week. 42% of participants reported eating meat fewer than five times per week, while 2% of participants reported being pescetarian (meaning that fish and seafood is the only type of meat they eat) and an additional 2% reported being vegetarian or vegan.

After following up on these participants 11 years later, researchers found that participants who ate meat less than five times per week had a 2% lower overall cancer risk than participants who ate meat five times per week or more. For participants who reported being either pescetarian, vegetarian, or vegan, the difference in overall cancer risk was even more pronounced; those who reported being pescetarian had a 10% lower overall cancer risk than the group that reported eating meat more than five times per week, while vegetarian and vegan participants exhibited a 14% lower risk.

Along with looking at overall cancer risk, researchers also examined the link between meat consumption and risk for specific types of cancer. Colon cancer and prostate cancer were two types of cancer that exhibited an especially strong association with meat consumption. Participants who reported eating meat less than five times per week had a 9% lower risk of colon cancer than those who ate meat five times per week or more. Male, pescetarian participants meanwhile, were found to have a 20% lower risk of prostate cancer. For male participants who reported being either vegan or vegetarian, the risk of prostate cancer was found to be 31% lower.

Additional Health Benefits of Reducing Your Meat Consumption

Along with potentially lowering your overall cancer risk, eating less meat and more fruits and vegetables offers a number of considerable health benefits. For one, meat is high in cholesterol and fat, and many processed meats such as sausage and bacon are high in sodium as well. Too much cholesterol, sodium, and fat are all recipes for poor heart health, meaning that reducing your meat consumption may be an effective way to lower your risk of heart disease and stroke. Being high in fat also means that meat isn’t always the best food for keeping your weight at a healthy level, and reducing your meat consumption may help you lose weight and avoid obesity-related health risks.

In addition to the health benefits of reduced meat consumption, eating less meat offers societal benefits as well. Producing meat requires a lot of resources, from water to grains to fossil fuels – and the use of these resources for raising and processing livestock is a key contributor to climate change.

Conclusion

A vegan diet isn’t the right choice for everyone, but simply reducing your meat consumption to fewer than five days per week can still offer considerable health benefits. Replacing red meat and chicken with fish and seafood is another effective way to lower your overall cancer risk while still keeping meat on the menu.

At St. Jude Labs, we strive to keep our patients as healthy as possible, and promoting a healthy diet is a big part of this mission. Our comprehensive health and wellness testing panel is a key part of this mission as well. With this testing panel, you can receive a detailed report that includes risk assessments for a wide variety of diseases and use the report to make wise health decisions.

To schedule an appointment for health and wellness testing at St. Jude Labs’ state-of-the-art Maryland facility, be sure to contact us today!