I cannot comment on the possible factors in this study that may have
affected the indications that meat intake increases the risk of colon
cancer, but the target group is, in itself, interesting of note.

I once was a Seventh-day Adventist, and I was attending the Loma Linda
University School of Public Health at the time the Adventist Health Study
was in the formative phases, in fact, I worked a very small amount on it.

The Adventists are an interesting group.  From 30 to 50 percent are
vegetarians, a very small number are vegans, eschewing all animal related
products.  Many Adventists eat relatively large quantities of the meat
analog foods marketed by Worthington Foods, Loma Linda Foods and several
other manufacturers.  These meat analogs are primarily derived from either
gluten or soy protein.  Many of the vegetarians in the study population eat
quite large quantities of these analogs.

For religious reasons, many Adventists avoid meat, including fish.  They
consume large quantities of grains and legumes.  It is also not unusual for
Adventist vegetarians to consume significant quantities of sugar.  The
subculture involves lots of potluck style meals and desserts are a
favorite.  This is, of course, firsthand observation. (Poor graduate
students take "nourishment" wherever they can find it.)

Adventists tend to not smoke, probably fewer than 1% smoke and fewer than
5% consume any quantities of alcohol.  The diet is, generally, highly
skewed towards grains and legumes, as was noted.

Those who consume meat products generally avoid pork and seafood,
observing, to a limited extent, the Levitical injunctions on what are clean
meats.  Even among those Adventists who consume meat, the eating of large
quantities of grains and legumes is common.

As I said, I do not know how these dietary abnormalities might affect the
colon cancer results, but we are not dealing with a "normal" population
here, they are not representative of the typical American diet, or of any
other diet that I'm aware of.

Dan Graham