A new study done by the University of Oxford suggests that having a large glass of milk every day may cut the risk of bowl cancer by nearly a fifth. The largest study conducted into diet and the disease is published in Nature Communications.
The study shows that 17 per cent of risk for bowl cancer is reduced with daily 300mg of calcium, the amount found in one glass of milk. A non-dairy sources of calcium such as fortified soy milk also has a similar protective effect.
“This comprehensive study provides robust evidence that dairy products may help prevent colorectal cancer, largely due to the calcium they contain,” said Dr Keren Papier, the first author of the study and a senior nutritional epidemiologist at the University of Oxford.
“Calcium was found to have a similar effect in both dairy and non-dairy sources, suggesting that it was the main factor responsible for cutting risk,” she added.
The third most common cancer in the world causing nearly 2 million cases and one million deaths annually, the new diagnoses are expected to reach 3.2 million by 2040, with deaths rising to 1.6 million largely because of rises in wealthy countries. Bowl cancer is rising sharply in younger people around the world, however, the reasons remain unclear. The number of UK adults aged 25 to 49 dignosed with bowl cancer has increased to 22 per cent.
Although, the trend is concerning, more than half of bowel cancers are preventable through diet and lifestyle changes. Maintaining a healthy weight, eating more fibre, drinking less alcohol, being physically active and not smoking help to reduce the risk. Doctors say diet is particularly important, with one in five cases linked to eating too much red or processed meat.
Studies done in the past suggested that dairy products can help prevent bowel cancer, but the evidence was not clear-cut. For the latest study, Papier and her colleagues used dietary data from more than 540,000 women over nearly 17 years to investigate how 97 foods, drinks and nutrients affect bowel cancer risk.
The study notes convincing data that calcium can protect against bowl cancer and confirmed that alcohol and red or processed meats raise the risk. A large glass of wine a day, which contains about 20g of alcohol is linked to a 15 per cent higher risk of bowel cancer. Similarly, each 30g of red and processed meat a day was linked to an 8% increase in the disease.
The study focused on postmenopausal women, but Papier said the protective effects of calcium are expected to apply to men and younger people. “We think that calcium may protect against colorectal cancer by attaching to bile acids and free fatty acids in the colon, which helps reduce their cancer-causing potential,” she said.
“Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting people in the UK, which is why it’s so vital that we know how to prevent it. Maintaining a healthy, balanced diet, alongside keeping a healthy weight and stopping smoking, is one of the best ways to lower your risk of bowel cancer. This includes cutting down on alcohol and red and processed meat, and eating lots of fruit, vegetables, and wholegrains. Dairy products like milk can also be part of a diet which reduces bowel cancer risk," said Sophia Lowes at Cancer Research UK, which funded the study. She further added, “We look forward to further research, including into the effects of specific ingredients like calcium, to ensure fewer people are impacted by this devastating disease."
Read More:
