Calcium & colons

Calcium or milk may lower the risk of colon or rectal cancer, says an analysis that pooled data from 10 studies on a total of more than 500,000 people.

People who consumed at least 1,000 mg a day of calcium (from food and/or supplements) had about a 20 percent lower risk of colon or rectal cancer than those who got less than 500 mg a day. And those who drank one or more glasses of milk a day had a 15 percent lower risk than those who averaged less than a quarter of a glass a day.

What to do: It's too early to know if milk reduces the risk of colon or rectal cancer, but other studies have found that calcium does. Shoot for 1,000 mg a day (if you're under 50) and 1,200 mg a day (if you're older), from food and supplements combined. But don't go overboard, especially if you're a man. A recent study suggests that more than 1,200 mg a day may increase the risk of prostate cancer.

J. Nat. Cancer Inst. 96: 1015, 2004.

COPYRIGHT 2004 Center for Science in the Public Interest
COPYRIGHT 2004 Gale Group