There may be another added benefit to going vegetarian.

New research has emerged from the UK suggesting vegetarians had a lower overall cancer rate when compared to meat eaters, Medical News Today reports.

Tim Key, lead author of the study, told the news provider few studies examined cancer rates among vegetarians.

A total of 63,550 men and women, aged 20 to 89, participated in the study throughout the UK during the 1990s. The researchers got the cancer incident figures from the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition-Oxford.

When compared to meat eaters, and adjusting for age, sex and smoking status, the study found vegetarians had an 11 percent lower incidence rate of all cancers, according to the article.

Key told the BBC the findings were interesting and suggested there "might be some reduction in cancers in vegetarians and fish-eaters and we need to look carefully at that."

People currently on a vegetarian diet may want to increase their protein intake through soy products or nutritional supplements to maintain optimal health. Also, those who are interested in losing weight may want to look into diets high in protein.