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Lee Swanson Research Update
Calcium May Slash Colorectal Cancer Risk
March 2009
A study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine shows that increased intakes of calcium from the diet and supplements may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by up to 23% in women.
Men also benefit from increased intakes of the mineral, with high intakes linked to a 16% reduction in colorectal cancer risk, according to findings from the National Cancer Institute.
The researchers, led by Yikyung Park, arrived at the conclusions after analyzing data from 293,907 men and 198,903 women participating in the National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study. The findings support the current U.S. dietary guidelines to consume 1,200 mg of calcium for adults age 50 and older and three cups per day of low-fat or fat-free dairy products.
“Our findings suggest that calcium intake consistent with current recommendations is associated with a lower risk of total cancer in women and cancers of the digestive system, especially colorectal cancer, in both men and women,” wrote Park and his co-workers.
The scientists analyzed data from the NIH-AARP Diet and Health Study using food frequency questionnaires. The participants reported their consumption of dairy and other foods and their use of supplements.
They were subsequently followed for an average of seven years, during which 36,965 cases of cancer were diagnosed in men and 16,605 in women. While an association between calcium and the total risk of cancer was observed in men, the researchers noted that the risk decreased up to approximately 1,300 mg per day, after which no further benefits were observed.
When the researchers considered only cancers of the digestive tract, both dairy food and calcium intakes in both men and women were associated with reduced risks.
Indeed, men with the highest average daily intakes of around 1,530 mg had a 16% lower risk of these types of cancer, compared to men with the lowest average daily intakes of around 525 mg per day.
For women, the highest average intakes of calcium (1,881 mg per day) were associated with a 23% lower risk of such cancers, compared to women with the lowest average intakes (494 mg per day). Furthermore, the decreased risk was particularly pronounced for colorectal cancer, said the researchers.
Archives of Internal Medicine 169(4):391-401, 2009
