Following alarm bells a few months ago that meat, particularly bacon, ham, steak and sausages, were a cause of cancer, new research reveals that long-term vegetarianism can result in genetic mutations that raise the risk of heart disease and cancer. The study, published today in Nature Genetics, found that people who ate less meat had more than twice as many copies of genes linked to cancer risk. This will help to explain why vegetarian populations are nearly 40% more likely to suffer colorectal cancer than those that eat meat.
Following alarm bells a few months ago that meat, particularly bacon, ham, steak and sausages, were a cause of cancer, new research reveals that long-term vegetarianism can result in genetic mutations that raise the risk of heart disease and cancer. Generations that have primarily had a vegetarian diet have been found more likely to carry DNA that makes them susceptible to inflammation. This will help to explain why vegetarian populations are nearly 40% more likely to suffer colorectal cancer than those that eat meat.