British study:

A glass of milk a day reduces the risk of colon cancer

(Bild: APA/dpa/Sina Schuldt)

A comprehensive British study supports the assumption that milk and certain dairy products can reduce the risk of colon cancer. According to the study, just one glass of milk (200 grams) a day reduces the risk of the disease by an average of around 14 percent.

50 grams of yogurt a day would reduce the risk of colon cancer 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 reports.

Calcium protects the intestinal mucosa
"The probable protective function of calcium may be related to its ability to bind to bile acids and free fatty acids in the lumen of the colon, thereby reducing their potentially carcinogenic effect," the researchers explain. Earlier research results already indicate that calcium protects the intestinal mucosa.

However, 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.

Colorectalcancer is the third most common tumor disease
In Austria, colorectal cancer is the third most common tumor disease. Almost 5000 people are diagnosed with bowel cancer every year, and around 2600 die from it each year. The risk of developing bowel cancer is significantly lower for women than for men and has fallen slightly more for men than for women in recent years.