ArticleThe American journal of clinical nutrition2014
Cancer in British vegetarians: updated analyses of 4998 incident cancers in a cohort of 32,491 meat eaters, 8612 fish eaters, 18,298 vegetarians, and 2246 vegans.
Article in The American journal of clinical nutrition, 2014. The graph could read no effect estimate from its abstract, so it casts no vote on the map. An erratum has been issued. Cited by 66 papers, 5 of them syntheses that pooled it.
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Trials whose registry record cites this paper, or whose number appears in the abstract. A trial that started after this paper was published is citing it as background, not reporting it.
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Who cites it
66 citing papers in PubMed, 5 syntheses or guidelines pooled it, 153 citations in OpenAlex.
- Vegetarian and vegan diets and cancer incidence: a systematic review and meta-analysis of prospective studies.European journal of epidemiology · 2026Pooled it
- Systematic review of the impact of a plant-based diet on prostate cancer incidence and outcomes.Prostate cancer and prostatic diseases · 2022Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Risk Factors for Gastric Cancer: A Systematic ReviewAsian Pacific journal of cancer prevention : APJCP · 2018Pooled it
- Pooled it
- Exercise and nutrition in hematologic malignancies: translational evidence and emerging interventions.Blood neoplasia · 2026Review
- Dietary intake and the risk of monoclonal gammopathy of undetermined significance: results from the population-based iStopMM screening study.Blood cancer journal · 2026Article
- A High-Fiber, Plant-Based Diet in Myeloma Precursor Disorders: Results from the NUTRIVENTION Clinical Trial and Preclinical Vk*MYC Model.Cancer discovery · 2026Article
- Vegetarian diets and cancer risk: pooled analysis of 1.8 million women and men in nine prospective studies on three continents.British journal of cancer · 2026Article
- Cardiovascular Disease Meets Cancer: Exploring the Epidemiology in China and Homotherapy Targeting Intersectional Mechanisms.Advanced science (Weinheim, Baden-Wurttemberg, Germany) · 2025Review
- Longitudinal associations between vegetarian dietary habits and site-specific cancers in the Adventist Health Study-2 North American cohort.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2025Article
- Unraveling Obesity and Multiple Myeloma: Insights from Epidemiology and Molecular Mechanisms.Current obesity reports · 2025Review
- Lights and Shadows of a Vegetarian Diet in Patients with Metabolic Dysfunction-Associated Steatotic Liver Disease.Nutrients · 2025Review
- Studying the Role of Vegetarianism as a Potential Strategy for Cancer Prevention and Treatment, a Bibliometric Analysis.Epidemiologia (Basel, Switzerland) · 2025Article
- Plant-based diets and urological health.Nature reviews. Urology · 2025Review
- Article
- Micronutrient intake and status in young vegans, lacto-ovo-vegetarians, pescatarians, flexitarians, and omnivores.European journal of nutrition · 2024Article
- Methods and participant characteristics in the Cancer Risk in Vegetarians Consortium: a cross-sectional analysis across 11 prospective studies.BMC public health · 2024Article
- Lifestyle Factors and Cancer: A Narrative Review.Mayo Clinic proceedings. Innovations, quality & outcomes · 2024Article
- Plant-based diets and the gut microbiome: findings from the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging.The American journal of clinical nutrition · 2024Article
6 more citing papers are in PubMed but not listed here.
Corrections and comments
- Erratum issued
Authors and funding
6 authors at 1 institution in 1 country.
Funding
Abstract
backgroundVegetarian diets might affect the risk of cancer.
objectiveThe objective was to describe cancer incidence in vegetarians and nonvegetarians in a large sample in the United Kingdom.
designThis was a pooled analysis of 2 prospective studies including 61,647 British men and women comprising 32,491 meat eaters, 8612 fish eaters, and 20,544 vegetarians (including 2246 vegans). Cancer incidence was followed through nationwide cancer registries. Cancer risk by vegetarian status was estimated by using multivariate Cox proportional hazards models.
resultsAfter an average follow-up of 14.9 y, there were 4998 incident cancers: 3275 in meat eaters (10.1%), 520 in fish eaters (6.0%), and 1203 in vegetarians (5.9%). There was significant heterogeneity between dietary groups in risks of the following cancers: stomach cancer [RRs (95% CIs) compared with meat eaters: 0.62 (0.27, 1.43) in fish eaters and 0.37 (0.19, 0.69) in vegetarians; P-heterogeneity = 0.006], colorectal cancer [RRs (95% CIs): 0.66 (0.48, 0.92) in fish eaters and 1.03 (0.84, 1.26) in vegetarians; P-heterogeneity = 0.033], cancers of the lymphatic and hematopoietic tissue [RRs (95% CIs): 0.96 (0.70, 1.32) in fish eaters and 0.64 (0.49, 0.84) in vegetarians; P-heterogeneity = 0.005], multiple myeloma [RRs (95% CIs): 0.77 (0.34, 1.76) in fish eaters and 0.23 (0.09, 0.59) in vegetarians; P-heterogeneity = 0.010], and all sites combined [RRs (95% CIs): 0.88 (0.80, 0.97) in fish eaters and 0.88 (0.82, 0.95) in vegetarians; P-heterogeneity = 0.0007].
conclusionIn this British population, the risk of some cancers is lower in fish eaters and vegetarians than in meat eaters.
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Registered trials
Read under generation 80e0d062 · epoch 390. Bibliography from PubMed, PubMed Central and OpenAlex; grants from NIH RePORTER; trial links from ClinicalTrials.gov; estimates, votes and beliefs from the OpenQuestion graph.