New research has suggested that by living on a vegan diet, people could reduce their risk of developing cancer or heart disease.

That's according to a study undertaken by Dr Colin Campbell, an academic who believes that the public could really benefit from living a vegan lifestyle.

He confirmed the findings on Topix.com, and added: "Instead of relying on animal-based foods as a primary source of good nutrition, it is clear that we should be relying on plant-based foods."

His findings might interest those with dietitian jobs, as if his research is taken seriously, they may soon be advising their patients to ditch the meat in favour of some more natural alternatives.

Campbell's research was recently published in a book entitled 'The China study: Startling implications for diet, weight loss and long-term health'. In it, he claimed that "populations with a heavy animal protein diet are more likely to suffer from concern," but that these effects could be reversed by switching over to a plant-based eating regime.

The expert also refuted the long-held theory that man is predisposed to existing on meat proteins; which is often linked to the evolutionary process.

Campbell argued in The Ecologist: "If you look at the nearest primate relative only about two to three, five per cent at the most, is coming from animal protein and that is from insects."

"The vast majority of our evolutionary history [shows] we weren't hunter-gatherers. We should call ourselves gatherer-hunters, not hunter-gatherers."