Calcium use may cut cancer risk in women
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Calcium consumption may reduce the risk of all cancers in women and the risk of cancers of the digestive tract in women and men, according to a report in the Archives of Internal Medicine.
“Our study is one of the first cohort studies to examine dairy food and calcium intakes in relation to total cancer as well as (uncommon) cancers,” Dr. Yikyung Park, from the National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland, and colleagues note.
Using data from the National Institutes of Health-American Association of Retired Persons Diet and Health Study, the researchers assessed the impact of dairy food and calcium intake on the risk of cancer in 293,907 men and 198,903 women.
During an average follow-up period of 7 years, 36,965 men and 16,605 women developed cancer, the report shows.
Calcium intake was tied to a reduced risk of cancer, in general, in women, but beyond intake of 1300 mg per day, no beneficial effect was seen.
As noted, both men and women had reduced risks of digestive system cancers. Men and women who consumed the highest amounts of calcium were 16 and 23 percent less likely, respectively, to develop these cancers relative to their peers who consumed the lowest amounts.
“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,” the researchers conclude.
SOURCE: Archives of Internal Medicine, February 23, 2009.
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