It is colorectal cancer awareness month. This is cancer by the numbers. About 1 in 13 Canadian men is expected to develop colorectal cancer during his lifetime and 1 in 28 will die from it. About 1 in 16 Canadian women is expected to develop colorectal cancer during her lifetime and 1 in 32 will die from it.
 
We have known for a while diet makes a difference. For example, red meat increases the risk whereas fibre can decrease risk. In this study‎, eating a vegetarian diet was associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancers compared with non-vegetarians. The authors point out that colorectal cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death, and while great attention has been paid to screening, primary prevention through lowering risk factors remains an important objective.

Among 77,659 study participants, 380 cases of colon cancer were identified and 110 cases of rectal cancer. Here is what was found:

Compared with nonvegetarians, vegetarians had a 22% lower risk for all colorectal cancers, 19% lower risk for colon cancer and 29% lower risk for rectal cancer.
Compared with non-vegetarians, vegans had a 16% risk of colorectal cancer, 18% for lacto-ovo vegetarians (eats milk and eggs), 43% less in pescovegetarians (eats fish), and 8% less in semivegetarians

We know that vegetarian diets may be associated with a reduced risk of colorectal cancer, along with prior evidence of the potential reduced risk of obesity, hypertension, diabetes and mortality. The striking finding with pescovegetarians points out it is not just the absence of meat, but fish itself, that lowered the risk, speaking to nutrients such as omega that is found in fish.