Plant-based diet may help cancer patients live longer, research suggests [Video]

A diet rich in plant-based foods such as vegetables, lentils, fruit, nuts and whole grains may help people with cancer live longer, studies suggest.

A review published as four separate studies in the International Journal of Cancer (IJC) suggests a plant-based diet, along with an active lifestyle, could potentially improve the overall survival chances of patients with bowel cancer.

Meanwhile, another study, published in Jama Network Open, found men with prostate cancer who ate plant-based foods had a 47 per cent lower risk of progression compared to those who did not strictly follow this diet.

However, scientists involved in the IJC studies said more research is needed, with better-designed trials and larger observational studies, to improve the lifestyle recommendations for cancer survivors.

Dr Helen Croker, assistant director of research and policy at World Cancer Research Fund …