Regular Yogurt Consumption Twice a Week or More
Reduces Risk of Certain Types of Colorectal Cancer by 20%
A study has found that regularly consuming yogurt can reduce the risk of certain types of colorectal cancer by up to 20%.
On the 12th (local time), the American medical news outlet Medical Xpress reported on research published in the academic journal 'Gut Microbes' by a research team from the American hospital network Mass General Brigham. This team includes Massachusetts General Hospital and Brigham and Women's Hospital, both affiliated with Harvard Medical School.
According to the study, consuming yogurt at least twice a week lowers the incidence of proximal colon cancer with detectable Bifidobacterium by 20%. The researchers analyzed that the live bacteria contained in yogurt influence the gut microbiome, resulting in this effect.
This study analyzed data tracking 132,056 people over several decades. The team utilized data from two large cohort studies: the Nurses' Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study (HPFS). NHS has tracked the lifestyle and disease outcomes of over 100,000 female nurses since 1976, while HPFS has followed more than 51,000 male health professionals since 1986.
There were 3,079 cases of colorectal cancer in the two study groups. Among these, information on Bifidobacterium content was available for 1,121 cases. Of these, 346 cases (31%) were Bifidobacterium-positive, and 775 cases (69%) were Bifidobacterium-negative.
When analyzing the correlation between yogurt consumption and colorectal cancer incidence, the group consuming yogurt at least twice a week had a 0.8 times risk of developing Bifidobacterium-positive colorectal cancer compared to the group consuming less than once a month. This preventive effect was especially pronounced in proximal colon cancer (cancer occurring in the ascending or transverse colon near the colon entrance). Bifidobacterium is a beneficial gut bacterium with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and immune-activating properties that contribute to cancer suppression.
Co-research lead Dr. Domotaka Ugai from the Department of Pathology at Brigham and Women's Hospital explained, "Yogurt and fermented dairy products have long been known to be beneficial for gastrointestinal health," adding, "This study suggests that such protective effects may be specific to Bifidobacterium-positive tumors."
The study found that Bifidobacterium is detected in about 30-35% of colorectal cancer tissues. The presence of Bifidobacterium is associated with hypoxic tumor microenvironments and loss of barrier function in advanced colorectal cancer. The research team stated, "This study suggests that yogurt consumption may have a cancer-preventive effect on colorectal cancers with damaged intestinal barriers." However, they noted that further research is needed to clarify the mechanisms by which yogurt consumption affects colorectal cancer development.
Meanwhile, according to South Korea's '2022 National Cancer Registry Statistics,' colorectal cancer ranks second in incidence (11.8%) after thyroid cancer (12%) domestically. Research published in international academic journals shows that the incidence rate of colorectal cancer among South Koreans aged 20-40 is 12.9 per 100,000 population, ranking first among 42 countries surveyed.
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