Yogurt may confer some degree of protection against colorectal cancer (CRC) according to a prospective study done in Italy. Yogurt intake was found to be inversely associated with CRC risk.
More than 45,000 volunteers participated by completing dietary questionnaires that included specific questions about yogurt intake. In the following 12 years 289 participants were diagnosed with CRC. High yogurt intake was significantly associated with decreased CRC risk, suggesting that yogurt should be part of a diet to prevent the disease.
The protective effect of yogurt was evident in the entire cohort, but was stronger in the 14,178 men in the study.
The study, done at Fondazione IRCSS Istituto Nazionale Tumori, Milano, Italy, was published in the International Journal of Cancer. 2011; 129(11):2712-9 (ISSN: 1097-0215)
