According to a recent scientific study, men who adhere to a vegan diet - a nutritional plan which excludes all animal by-products - can dramatically lower their risk of developing prostate cancer which is the most common cancer among men in the UK.
Researchers in a study which was funded by the World Cancer Research Fund examined data obtained from 26,000 men before examining the relationship between prostate cancer and nutrition, and ultimately established that those who followed a vegan diet had a 35% reduced risk of developing the potentially fatal disease.
Explaining the significance of the study's findings which identified 1,079 cases of the disease, Professor Gary Fraser, who led the research asserted: "This new research makes a significant step in linking a vegan diet to reduced prostate cancer risk."
Insistent that the results need further analysis, Professor Fraser explained more work needs to be done in the field, continuing: "What we now need is more research into this area to determine to the extent a vegan diet could reduce the number of men developing this cancer."
Reminding the public that prevention is key when it comes to the disease, Dr Panagiota Mitrou, director of research funding at the WCRF said: "This exciting research has, for the first time, helped fill some vital gaps in our knowledge about eating patterns and the prevention of prostate cancer and could pave the way for future research."
However, like Professor Fraser, Dr. Mitrou is keen to reinforce the point that the research does not end here, continuing: "Although these results are exciting, more studies are needed to demonstrate the strength of the link between a vegan diet and reducing the risk of prostate cancer."
Jimmy Pierce, the spokesman for the Vegan Society, who recently weighed in on discussion surrounding the impact Peppa Pig has had on the younger generation, celebrated the results of the study, saying: "The evidence around the disease-preventative qualities of the vegan diet is now overwhelming."
"Time and again we are seeing new research showing the vegan diet to be significantly better for our health. Yet it is killing thousands of men in the UK every year," he insisted.
