ABSTRACT

Cancer is a diverse set of related diseases involving uncontrolled cell growth and division; consequently, risk factors for cancers may vary. Diet is an important potential risk factor for many cancers, and vegetarian diets have been hypothesized to reduce 72the risk of several common cancers. We review here the evidence of cancer risk among vegetarians compared with nonvegetarians, primarily based on the findings of several prospective cohort studies of vegetarians. We also review related evidence for associations of the consumption of meat, eggs, and dairy products to cancer risk and highlight selected evidence linking plant foods to reductions in cancer risk.