Oxford - Saba:
A recent study conducted by Oxford University in England has revealed that drinking a large cup of milk daily can reduce the risk of colon cancer by up to 20 percent.
The results of the study showed that every 300 mg of calcium daily, or half a litter of milk, is connected to the minimization of risks to catch the disease by 17 percent.
Bowel cancer is the third most common cancer in the world, causing around two million cases and one million deaths each year. The number of new cases is expected to rise to 3.2 million by 2040, with deaths increasing to 1.6 million, especially in wealthy countries.
This study provides evidence that milk products could help protect from colon cancer, thanks to calcium they include, main author of the study, Dr. Kirin Papier, said.
Colon cancer is the World's third most common cancer, causing some 2 million infections and 1 million deaths a year.
Despite these alarming figures, studies suggest that more than half of bowel cancer cases could be prevented through changes to diet and lifestyle. These include maintaining a healthy weight, eating more fiber, reducing alcohol consumption, being physically active and not smoking.
Diet also plays a major role, with one in five cases linked to excessive consumption of red or processed meat.
The study, which included dietary data from more than 540,000 women over 17 years, confirmed that calcium can protect against bowel cancer, while alcohol and red or processed meat increase the risk.
It notes that every 20g of alcohol consumed daily, equivalent to a large glass of wine, increased the risk by 15 per cent, while every 30g of red or processed meat consumed daily increased the risk by eight per cent.
While the study focused on post-menopausal women, Dr. Papier stated that the protective effect of calcium could apply to men and young people as well.
"We think calcium may protect against colorectal cancer by binding to bile acids and free fatty acids in the colon, reducing their carcinogenic effect," she added.
For her part, Sophia Lewis from Cancer Research in the UK, which funded the study, said: "Bowel cancer is one of the most common types of cancer, so it is very important that we know how to prevent it. This includes maintaining a balanced diet, reducing alcohol and red or processed meat consumption, and eating plenty of fruit, vegetables and whole grains."
Researchers hope to conduct more research on the effect of calcium and other nutritional components on the prevention of colon cancer.. At present, evidence suggests that adding a cup of milk to the daily diet may be a simple and effective step to reduce the risk of this disease.
| more of (Press) |