I’m as happy as a pig in poo!

James Cromwell is the actor, who played the farmer in the film Babe. It was a film that fundamentally changed his view of the world. During the preparation for the film and the actual filming itself, Cromwell had the opportunity to better understand and appreciate the intelligence and personalities of pigs. As a consequence, he decided to adopt a lifestyle free from animal cruelty. He became an activist for animal rights and a vegan.

He believed that pigs should live a life that allowed them to forage, have fun and decide how to spend their time as they wished – in a sense, all animals, should be as happy as pigs in poo (there are ways of repeating this idiomatic saying, but for the sake of younger readers, lets stick with the word poo).

Indeed, just the other week, I found that poo is the word being used by the NHS. It was used in a letter inviting me to have another poo test – the so called FIT (faecal immunochemical test). This is a bowel cancer screening test that replaced the original faecal occult blood test, way back in 2019. I have been doing both tests now for many a year. The current test is much easier to do than the previous ones for sure.

In the UK, bowel cancer screening is offered to all folk aged between 50 and 74. The test is offered every two years. This is because the risk of getting bowel cancer rises as people get older. Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers in the UK. If cancer is detected early, and often before some of the symptoms appear, it can be easier to treat. This screening programme does just that.

However, whilst the screening programme has resulted in falling rates of deaths from bowel cancer in those over the age of 50, there has been a rise in bowel cancer in those under 50 years of age. Trying to understand why this might be is ongoing, but last week the results of a major, longitudinal research study into the relationship of diet to bowel cancer risk, was published.

It found that, surprisingly, meat free diets were seen to raise the risk of bowel cancer, and in particular, vegan diets. I say surprising as it’s been more than 10 years since that the World Health Organisation suggested that some processed meats, such as bacon and sausages were Group 1 carcinogens. This is the same group as cigarettes, alcohol and asbestos!

However, (he says with a ‘phew!’) vegetarians are much less likely to develop pancreatic, breast, prostate, blood (myeloma) and kidney cancers. Strangely, vegetarians were found to be almost twice as likely to be diagnosed with oesophageal cancer. I say strangely, (and possibly also surprisingly) as a diet that contains a majority of fruit, vegetables and fibre containing foods, and which avoids processed food has long been recommended as a way to reduce the risk of cancer.

The study suggested that the higher risk of bowel cancer seen with those folk adopting a vegan diet may be due to a lack of calcium in their diet. It’s a known risk factor. This is an area for future research. Vegan folk typically have a higher fibre diet and consume less alcohol than other groups. It’s clear that whilst vegetarians and vegans should take comfort from the research, it’s clear that both groups need to think about how they might replace any missing nutrients in their diet through taking supplements.

For example, as a long-time vegetarian, I know I cannot get enough vitamin B in my everyday diet. So, I take a vitamin B tablet every day. I have done so for over 50 years. However, I’m not worried about having a calcium deficiency, as cheese is one of my favourite foods, and something I eat every day. I’m a cheese addict, a turophile in fact (but that’s probably the subject of a different blog).

So being a vegetarian might bring many benefits, but I have to say, it’s not risk free. Nothing really ever is. That said, my poo test results came back on Friday. It appears I’m okay for another two years. So, this weekend we are celebrating in Italian style. Yesterday it was pizza, tonight meat-not meat balls and pasta, and tomorrow, minestrone and the best crusty bread I can find. There will also be some gorgeous Crumbly Lancashire and crackers. All of which have been and will be vegetarian. It’s a shame I can’t invite James Cromwell to join me.