New research published in the "British Cancer Journal" suggests vegetarians have lower risks of developing blood, bladder and stomach cancers than those that eat meat, fish or both.

The study tracked over 61,000 vegetarians for 12 years. Overall, 33 percent of meat eaters are likely to develop some form of cancer in their lifetime. Vegetarians fare slightly better with 29 percent likely to develop some form of cancer.

Looking at individual cancer risks:

1. Vegetarians had a 75 percent lower risk of developing multiple myeloma, which is a bone marrow cancer.

2. Vegetarians were 50 percent less likely to develop blood and lymph cancers such as leukemia or non-Hodgkin lymphoma.

3. Vegetarians did have twice the risk of cervical cancer as carnivores.

4. Vegetarians had higher rates of colon and rectum cancer, but the differences were not significant.

5. Breast cancer rates were similar for vegetarians and carnivores.

Researchers still are unsure what causes the differences, but they believe it could be related to viruses or DNA-damaging compounds found in meat that can cause mutations. The cooking temperature for meat preparation can also influence the release of carcinogens.

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