Cancer causes • 26 March 2026

Do vegan or vegetarian diets reduce cancer risk?

Vegetarian and vegan diets have been associated with a reduced risk of some cancers, but it’s not clear whether eating meat is truly problematic. We explain what the most recent research really tells us about diet and cancer risk.

What is the difference between a vegetarian and vegan diet?

The number of people following a vegetarian or vegan diet has grown a lot recently, and it is now estimated that over 3 million people in the UK are vegetarian or vegan.

Vegetarians do not eat any meat or animal by-products such as gelatine.
Vegans also cut out dairy, eggs and other products of animal origin.

But within these categories there can still be a lot of variety in what people actually eat. Some vegetarians might eat a lot of ultra-processed foods, and some meat-eaters might always get their five-a-day. This makes it very hard to research the impact of diet on health. But it doesn’t stop researchers trying. Thanks to their hard work, we are starting to understand just how our diet is related to cancer and other diseases.

Is a plant-based diet better for you?

There are lots of reasons why someone might decide to become vegan or vegetarian. Concern about animal welfare, for example - or a desire to reduce environmental impact. It could also just be down to the opportunity to save a few pennies on the weekly shop.

And as well as being good for the planet and good for your purse, research is increasingly finding that cutting down on meat may also be good for your health.

We already know that a balanced diet is an important part of a healthy lifestyle, along with regular exercise, quitting smoking and drinking less alcohol.

We know that eating too much saturated fat and sugar can cause high cholesterol, which puts you more at risk of having a stroke or a heart attack. And studies have also shown that a Mediterranean diet can help to help people live healthily for longer - eating plenty of fresh, whole foods such as fruit, vegetables, pulses, nuts, oily fish and olive oil.

And there is also increasing evidence that our diet plays a role in cancer risk. No one food can prevent or cause cancer, but your overall diet can influence your chances of getting certain cancers.

What does the science tell us about diet and cancer?

Research has demonstrated that eating processed meat such as ham and sausages causes bowel cancer and eating red meat is also linked to a higher risk. Some types of red meat are also high in saturated fat, which can contribute to obesity, and having obesity puts you at higher risk of several cancer types.

A landmark study of over 1.8 million people worldwide has recently found that compared with meat eaters, vegetarians had a reduced risk of five types of cancer: pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, kidney cancer and multiple myeloma. Pescatarians were found to have a lower risk than meat-eaters of breast and kidney cancer.

So do vegan and vegetarian diets reduce cancer risk?

Although scientists are starting to piece together more evidence, it is still hard to give a definitive answer to this question.

Research into what we eat and how it affects our risk of cancer is always going to be difficult and results need to be carefully interpreted. Researchers need to consider several other factors before they can draw a clear line between a cause and effect like a specific diet and your risk of illness.

Another big caveat for this sort of research is that it often relies on people self-reporting, often over a long period of time - can you fully trust that everyone will tell the whole truth about what they’re eating? And to make things even more confusing, there are over 200 different types of cancer and some of them are more influenced by diet than others.

There's a lot of conflicting information out there, and it can all feel a little bit overwhelming.

If there's one key message that we'd recommend you remember about cancer and diet, it's this:

There are a few things that we know for certain can help to prevent several types of cancer: maintaining a healthy weight, swapping cocktails for mocktails to cut down on alcohol, eating plenty of fruit, vegetables and wholegrains, and cutting down on red and processed meat.

Your diet and cancer FAQs:

Should I go vegan or vegetarian if I have cancer?

If you have cancer then it is important that you do not make any major diet changes without talking to your oncology team. No diet can cure cancer, but a healthy, balanced diet can help your body cope with cancer treatment and the side effects, and it’s important to get enough energy to support you. If you choose to go plant-free make sure you eat plenty protein, iron and other nutrients.

Which cancers are linked to diet and lifestyle?

Processed meat and red meat are linked to bowel cancer. Vegetarian diets have been found to reduce the risk of five cancers compared to meat-based diets: pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, kidney cancer and multiple myeloma.
Obesity causes at least 13 types of cancer including breast cancer, bowel cancer, ovarian cancer and oesophageal cancer.
Alcohol causes 7 types of cancer including mouth cancer, upper throat cancer, bowel cancer and liver cancer.

Does processed meat increase cancer risk?

Yes. It is estimated that around 13% of bowel cancers in the UK are linked to eating processed meats.

What foods lower cancer risk?

There isn’t any food that by itself can lower cancer risk. Unfortunately it’s not that simple. Eating a balanced diet and maintaining a healthy weight is the key to reducing your risk of cancer and other diseases. Try to get a good mix of fresh fruit and vegetables, wholegrains and healthy protein and try to reduce the amount of red and processed meat, alcohol and high-fat foods.

Is cancer more common in people who eat meat?

New findings from a worldwide study suggest that people who follow a vegetarian diet have a lower risk of five different cancers: pancreatic cancer, breast cancer, prostate cancer, kidney cancer and multiple myeloma. It also shows though that a vegetarian diet may be linked to an increase risk in a type of oesophageal cancer, and that a vegan diet may put you at greater risk of bowel cancer. Researching diet and cancer is very complicated and more research is needed to better understand these findings.