In coffee, as yoghurt or on its own Dairy consumption can reduce the risk of bowel cancer
Milk and certain dairy products may reduce the risk of colon cancer. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Colon cancer is the third most common tumor disease in Germany. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Milk and certain dairy products may reduce the risk of colon cancer. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
Colon cancer is the third most common tumor disease in Germany. (archive picture)
Image: dpa
In coffee, as yoghurt or on its own: many people consume dairy products every day. Large-scale statistics now show a positive effect - the risk of colon cancer is reduced.
11.01.2025, 19:40
dpa
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- A study supports the theory that milk and certain dairy products can reduce the risk of colon cancer.
- According to the current analysis, other positive nutrients are breakfast cereals, fruit, whole grain products, fiber, folic acid and vitamin C.
- On the other hand, alcohol and red and processed meat can increase the risk of colon cancer.
An extensive British study supports the assumption that milk and certain dairy products can reduce the risk of colon cancer. A glass of milk (200 grams) per day reduces the risk of the disease by an average of around 14 percent, 50 grams of yogurt by eight percent - probably mainly due to the calcium it contains, the researchers report in the journal "Nature Communications".
Wholemeal products, fruit and individual vitamins are also likely to have a protective effect. On the other hand, alcohol as well as red and processed meat can increase the risk of bowel cancer, as the team led by Keren Papier from the University of Oxford (UK) reports.
The data show a statistically determined, but not causally proven connection. From 1996 to 2001, around 1.3 million women in England and Scotland took part in the "Million Women Study" after participating in screening to prevent breast cancer. They completed a detailed questionnaire and described their food intake over a period of seven days.
Due to incomplete data and other reasons, many participants were excluded from the data analysis. Data from 542,778 women remained, who were surveyed again after three to five years. Over an average period of just under 17 years, 12,251 (2.26 percent) of the participants developed colorectal cancer.
Links between diet and cancer
The researchers around Papier now looked at possible links to 97 nutritional factors. They identified 17 factors which, according to the data, had a statistically significant effect on the risk of colorectal cancer. Calcium had the greatest positive effect, reducing the risk by an average of around 17 percent for every 300 milligrams per day. Calcium appears to play a major role in the protective effect of milk and dairy products: When the effect of calcium was statistically factored out, the positive effect of milk and dairy products was significantly lower. This also applied to nutrients contained in milk such as vitamin B2, magnesium, potassium and phosphorus.
"The probable protective function of calcium may be related to its ability to bind to bile acids and free fatty acids in the colonic lumen and thus reduce their potentially carcinogenic effect," the scientists explain. In addition, previous research results indicate that calcium protects the intestinal mucosa.
Fruit and wholegrain products are also good
Other foods and nutrients that reduce the risk of bowel cancer - albeit to a lesser extent - are breakfast cereals, fruit, wholegrain products, fiber, folic acid and vitamin C, according to the current analysis. By contrast, just 20 grams of alcohol per day increases the risk of bowel cancer by an average of around 15 percent. With red and processed meat - such as sausage - it can be around eight percent more at 30 grams per day.
Scientists suspect that the harmful effects of alcohol are linked to the production of acetaldehyde as part of the metabolism. In high concentrations, acetaldehyde promotes cell mutations and increases the formation of carcinogenic reactive oxygen products.
Third most common tumor disease
According to cancer registry figures, more than five percent of people in Germany develop colorectal cancer in the course of their lives, making it the third most common tumor disease in Germany. Rudolf Kaaks from the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ) in Heidelberg considers the new study to be a well-conducted analysis. "The study confirms earlier, similar findings, for example in the European "Epic" study," explains the cancer specialist. He assumes that the results also apply to men.
The research project underpins previous findings on the influence of diet on bowel cancer. However, the positive effect of milk and calcium is more pronounced than in previous studies. Kaaks also refers to a study in Heidelberg from 2011, in which he himself was involved and which also showed a positive effect of calcium. However, the reduction in risk was not statistically significant at that time.
