Here's One More Reason To Be A Vegetarian

Alright you herbivores out there, find your closest meat-loving friend and scream at the top of your lungs, "I told you so!"

A new study says a vegetarian diet can cut your risk of colon cancer by 20 percent compared to non vegetarians, and if you add fish to that veggie diet — making you a pesco-vegetarian — that number jumps to 43 percent. (Video via YouTube / Asahpazi)

And colon cancer is a big problem. It's the third most commonly diagnosed cancer and the third leading cause of cancer deaths. According to the American Cancer Society, more than 50,000 people are predicted to die of the disease this year. (Video via YouTube / Medical Informatics)

The study followed more than 77,000 adults for seven years. Researchers found 380 cases of colon cancer and 110 cases of rectal cancer, and according to the study, all vegetarians and vegans had a lower risk of colon cancer compared to non vegetarians. 

On top of that, it's been known for years that too much red meat in your diet can increase your risk of colon cancer, heart disease and diabetes. 

But the added protection from cancer was not just from eating less red meat but also from eating more of the green stuff. 

"One, reduce or eliminate red meat ... and increase your consumption of a wide variety of the whole plant foods."

According to the study's lead researcher, there will be at least two follow-up papers examining if a vegetarian diet can also lower the risk of breast cancer and prostate cancer.

This video includes images from lynn.gardner / CC BY NC SA 2.0 and SliceOfChic / CC BY NC ND 2.0.