A new study finds a link between a vegetarian diet and a significantly lower risk of developing colorectal cancer, which kills 50,000 people in the United States each year — and people who added some fish in with their veggies saw their risk drop by a whopping 49 percent.

The study, researched by a team from Lorna Linda University in California, was published int he journal JAMA Internal Medicine. It analyzed 77,659 men and women who had been recruited for the study between 2002 and 2007, and found that those who ate a vegetarian diet were at a 22 percent lower risk of colorectal cancer — 19 percent reduced risk for colon cancer, and 29 percent reduced risk of rectal cancer, according to a Medical News Today report.

Studies have in the past blamed red and proceed meats on an increased risk of colorectal cancer, while diets that heavily rely on fruits, veggies, and whole grains have been credited with reducing that risk. The team decided to look deeper into how consuming a vegetarian diet affect colorectal cancer risks.

During the study, participants filled out a food frequency and medical questionnaire, and then a computer database was used to assess participants and their cancer incidence. A follow-up medical questionnaire was also used. After 7.3 years on average, 490 participants were diagnosed with colorectal cancer, 380 of which were colon cancer and 110 were rectal cancer.

Pescovegetarians, or vegetarians who also eat fish, had the highest lowered risk of colorectal cancer at 49 percent, while lacto-ovo vegetarians — who are allowed to eat dairy products — had an 18 percent lower risk. Vegans, who swear off all animal-related foodstuffs, had a 16 percent reduced risk, and semi-vegetarians were about 8 percent less likely.

The research team concluded that vegetarian diets are an effective strategy for lowering one’s risk for colorectal cancer, falling in line with previous studies on the issue.

Colorectal cancer is the second-leading cause of cancer deaths. It begins in either the colon or the rectum, and a person has a 1 in 20 chance of developing the disease at some point in their lives, according to the American Cancer Society.

The death rates for this type of cancer is particularly high, although it has declined in recent years due to better screening for the disease, which allows doctors to catch it earlier. The treatment has been better too, and there are 1 million survivors of the disease in the United States today.