A study revealed that people who eat yogurt appears to have a minimized risk of proximal colon cancer with a long latency period. However, there is no significant benefit found for colorectal cancer (CRC) mortality.
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| Photo: Woman Eating Yogurt | InStyleHealth |
The authors of the study stated that, “Regular yogurt
consumption may contribute to a favorable gut microbiome and gut health, but
few epidemiologic studies have considered the relation between regular yogurt
consumption and the incidence of and mortality from CRC.”
What is colon cancer?
Colon cancer or sometimes called colorectal cancer is
a type of cancer that starts in the large intestine (colon). The colon is the
final part of the digestive tract.
Colon cancer normally affects older people; however,
it can happen at any age. It typically starts as small, noncancerous (benign)
clumps of cells called polyps that form on the inside of the colon. Eventually,
over the long run, some of these polyps will develop to become colon cancers.
Tackling this research gap, experts examined the role
of yogurt intake on colorectal cancer (CRC) incidence and mortality using data
from the two large prospective group studies – Nurses’ Health Study and Health
Professionals Follow-Up Study.
There was a total of 2,666 newly diagnosed cases of
colorectal cancer have been recorded during 32 years of follow-up in 83,054
women with an average age at baseline of 45.7 years old and 26 years of
follow-up in 43,269 men with an average baseline age of 52.3 years. Yogurt
consumption was modeled at baseline and cumulatively updated through
follow-ups.
Analyses unveiled, age-adjusted, the correlation of
baseline yogurt consumption with a minimized risk of colon cancer. Such correlation
continued even after adjustment of potential variables, including calcium and
fiber intake, and were restricted to proximal colon cancer.
Comparative with no yogurt intake, the consumption of
at least one serving per week baseline, correlated with a 16% decrease in proximal
colon cancer incidence.
With latency analyses, the most significant window of
opportunity for regular yogurt consumption to prevent colorectal cancer was 16 –
20 years historically. When yogurt intake was collectively updated,
correlations reduced and were no longer significant.
No statistically significant inverse correlation,
particularly, was observed between yogurt consumption and colorectal cancer
(CRC) mortality. For complete details of the study, click here.
Source: Am J Clin Nutr 2020;112:1566-1575