Milk, Calcium Intake May
Lower Colon Cancer Risk

Higher milk and calcium consumption is linked with reduced odds of developing colorectal cancer, according to an analysis of ten studies.

"Our findings, with those from several clinical trials on calcium supplements and colorectal (tumors) including one published last month, strongly suggest that calcium reduces colorectal cancer risk," Dr. Eunyoung Cho from Harvard Medical School, Boston stated.

The studies reviewed by Cho's team involved a total of 534,536 individuals, of whom 4992 developed colorectal cancer over a 6 to 16-year period. Dietary information was gathered by questionnaire.

The risk of cancers of the colon and rectum decreased with increasing milk consumption, according to the results published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute. Compared with the lowest category of milk intake, the highest intake was associated with 15 percent reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer.

A higher dietary and total calcium intake also significantly reduced the risk of colorectal cancer, for both men and women, the investigators found.

However, as Cho pointed out, the data for calcium "were suggestive of a threshold effect in which little further reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer was observed for intakes above 1000 milligrams per day."

Because some studies have suggested that a high intake of calcium may increase the risk of fatal prostate cancer, "we need to understand better the full range of health effects of calcium before making recommendations for optimum amount of calcium intake to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer," the researcher added.

SOURCE: Journal of the National Cancer Institute, July 7, 2004.

Reference Source 89
July 7, 2004

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