A study carried out by a group of researchers from the United States and South Korea, which was published in BMC Medicine, discovered that a plant-based diet may significantly reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.

The research included 173,427 people from various ethnic backgrounds.  Men who ate a healthy plant-based diet had decreased rates of colorectal cancer, according to the findings, which were obtained after an average follow-up period of slightly over 19 years.

The study's female participants did not experience the same advantages.

Researchers discovered that males who consumed healthy plant-based diets had a 22% lower chance of getting colorectal cancer.

When compared to groups that identified as African American and Latino, the Japanese-American, Native Hawaiian, and white people had higher differences in the health benefits for men.

The study had certain drawbacks, but according to Mona S. Jhaveri, PhD, it has tremendous relevance for examining strategies to prevent cancer.

“I think, in this study, what excites me the most is that it’s actually a method of [prevention,]” Jhaveri said. “And what I see in my world, in the biotech world. Is: we focus a lot on cures and treatments. And what the public really, in my opinion, seeks are ways to prevent cancer or screen for it.”

The researchers hypothesized that women generally consumed a better diet than males. They contend that because women had healthier diets overall at the outset, the effects of eating more healthful foods would be less pronounced than in males.

There are some limitations to the study that the researchers have noted, including the potential need for more research on the relationship between a dairy and fish diet and the risk of colon cancer.

Read more: Plant-based diet proven to reduce bowel cancer in men by 22%