מתוך medicontext.co.il
By Suzanne Rostler
WESTPORT, CT (Reuters Health) – Drinking milk may lower the risk of developing colon cancer, the results of a study from Finland suggest.
Dr. Ritva Jarvinen, from the University of Kuopio, and coinvestigators found that in a group of nearly 10,000 individuals who were 15 years of age and older, those who consumed the most milk were the least likely to develop colon cancer over 24 years.
But it is too soon to make recommendations regarding milk consumption and colon cancer risk, Dr. Jarvinen told Reuters Health.
"In general, based on a single study, we cannot make any recommendations to individuals. Further results from large ongoing…studies in Europe and the United States are needed to demonstrate the importance of dietary factors including milk products," Dr. Jarvinen said.
The investigators found that lactose may be responsible for this protective effect by encouraging the growth of bacteria that may inhibit cancer. Vitamin D and calcium were not associated with colon cancer risk, according to the report in the November issue of the European Journal of Clinical Nutrition.
No association was found between milk and milk products and rectal cancer risk. In fact, individuals who ate the most butter had a slightly higher risk of rectal cancer, the report indicates.
The researchers point to several limitations of their study. Overall, there was little difference in the amounts of these foods consumed by individuals who developed cancer and those who remained cancer-free. Dietary habits could have changed during the study period, and baseline interviews did not address potential confounders, such as aspirin use, alcohol consumption and exercise habits.
Dr. Jarvinen and colleagues interviewed individuals in Finland about their diet, medical history and other lifestyle habits such as smoking and use of vitamin supplements. Over the next 24 years, 38 cases of colon cancer and 34 cases of rectal cancer were diagnosed in the group.
Individuals who consumed the most milk–mostly whole milk–were 54% less likely to develop colon cancer, and those who consumed the highest percentage of milk products were 63% less likely to develop colon cancer, results show.
Cheese and buttermilk appeared to raise the risk of colorectal cancers, although the reasons why are not clear. The authors suggest that lifestyle factors associated with heavy consumption of these products may be responsible, or that these foods may contain a compound that contributes to the development of colorectal cancers.
"Our findings indicate that there may be something beneficial associated with high milk consumption, but not with high consumption of other milk products such as cheese, against colon cancer development," Dr. Jarvinen concluded.
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