Cancer: Killing Animals Is Killing Us

Since President Richard Nixon declared a "war on cancer" in 1972, that "war" has become a losing battle. Every year, billions of dollars are spent on cancer research, detection, and treatment in the United States, yet cancer remains one of our nation's top killers.

Fortunately, there's something we can do about it. According to the World Health Organization, up to 40 percent of all cancers are preventable, and one-third of all cancer deaths in the U.S. can be attributed to nutritional factors, according the American Cancer Society (ACS).

Vegan diets maximize the foods that help us fight cancer—fiber-packed grains and beans and phytochemical-packed fruits and vegetables—and minimize the foods that cause cancer. Combine these two factors, according to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, and the scientific evidence is clear: "Vegetarians are about 40 percent less likely to get cancer than nonvegetarians, regardless of other risks such as smoking, body size, and socioeconomic status."

One study compared cancer rates of vegetarians and meat-eaters in 34,000 Americans. The results showed that those who avoided meat, fish, and poultry had dramatically lower rates of prostate, ovarian, and colon cancer compared to meat-eaters.

Eating Chickens Can Lead to Bladder Cancer According to a major 2006 Harvard study of 135,000 people, people who frequently ate grilled skinless chicken had a 52 percent higher chance of developing bladder cancer compared to people who didn’t.

An 11-year-long German study involving more than 800 vegetarian men found their cancer rates were less than half those of the general public. The lowest cancer rates were found in those who had avoided meat for 20 years or more. Studies in Japan and Sweden also have shown lower risk among vegetarians. A 2007 study of more than 35,000 women published in the British Journal of Cancer found that women who ate the most meat were more likely to develop breast cancer than women who consumed the lowest amount of meat. It seems that with every bite of meat, we increase our risk of cancer. Luckily, we can eliminate animal products from our diets and replace them with vegetable proteins that can protect our health instead of harm it.

Dr. T. Colin Campbell, arguably the foremost epidemiological researcher alive today, argues that animal proteins are the prime carcinogen in meat and dairy products. Says Dr. Campbell, "[H]uman studies also support this carcinogenic effect of animal protein, even at usual levels of consumption. … No chemical carcinogen is nearly so important in causing human cancer as animal protein."

But fat is a culprit, too: Higher-fat diets raise estrogen levels, whereas plant-based diets keep them at a safe level, which doesn't promote the growth of cancer cells. Luckily, fiber-a nutrient plentiful in vegetarian diets-helps our bodies eliminate excess estrogen, thus cutting cancer risk.

Read more about specific carcinogens in meat, such as arsenic in chicken and mercury in fish.