Bring on the parfaits, folks.
Scientists have discovered that regular, long-term yogurt consumption could help lower the risk of colorectal cancer.
It’s all down to something called “Bifidobacterium” — but you have to be eating the right amount of yogurt for it to do the trick.
Colorectal cancer occurs when cells in the colon or rectum grow out of control, creating tumors that can spread to the rest of the body if left untreated.
Though people over 50 are at the highest risk for colorectal cancer, there’s been an alarming rise in diagnoses among younger adults.
A new study led by Massachusetts General Brigham found that over time, yogurt consumption may guard against colorectal cancer through changes in the gut microbiome.
Our gut microbiome — the collection of bacteria, viruses, and fungi in our digestive system — breaks down complex carbohydrates and proteins from food, producing vitamins and essential nutrients that can benefit overall health.
Published appropriately in Gut Microbes, the latest study utilized decades of dietary data and found that while two or more servings of yogurt per week were not associated with overall incidences of colorectal cancer, they were associated with significantly lower rates of “Bifidobacterium-positive proximal colon cancer.”
This type of cancer occurs in the right side of the colon and is known to be deadlier than other types of colorectal cancer.
Colorectal cancer is the third-leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men and the fourth-leading cause in women, according to the American Cancer Society.
“Our study provides unique evidence about the potential benefit of yogurt,”corresponding author Shuji Ogino, MD, PhD, the program chief in Molecular Pathological Epidemiology in the Department of Pathology at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, said.
Yogurt, which contains live, active cultures, is believed to be an excellent way to get good bacteria into the microbiome. Good bacteria found in fermented dairy have long been associated with better health and lower disease rates, including type 2 diabetes.
“My lab’s approach is to try to link long-term diets and other exposures to a possible key difference in tissue, such as the presence or absence of a particular species of bacteria,” Ogino said.
“This kind of detective work can increase the strength of evidence connecting diet to health outcomes.”
Experts believe good gut health is critical to overall wellbeing. Research reports that Parkinson’s disease may even begin in the gut.
Meanwhile, a March 2022 study from New York’s Clarkson University found a possible link between a person’s gut health and personality.
“It has long been believed that yogurt and other fermented milk products are beneficial for gastrointestinal health,” said co-senior author Tomotaka Ugai, MD, PhD, of the Department of Pathology at the Brigham and the Department of Epidemiology at the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health.
Both regular and Greek yogurt are rich in calcium and probiotics that help support digestive health, though experts suggest consumers check nutrition labels for the words “live and active cultures,” as these provide beneficial probiotics.
“This paper adds to the growing evidence that illustrates the connection between diet, the gut microbiome, and the risk of colorectal cancer,” said co-author Andrew T. Chan, MD, chief of the Clinical and Translational Epidemiology Unit at Massachusetts General Hospital.
“It provides an additional avenue for us to investigate the specific role of these factors in the risk of colorectal cancer among young people.”
