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Bowel cancer risk could be reduced with an extra glass of milk

Sophie Wedekind
by Sophie Wedekind | Analysis

8 January 2025

16 comments 16 comments

glass of milk with a blue background
Olga Pinegina / Shutterstock

It’s common knowledge that calcium is important for strong bones and teeth, but could it help decrease the risk of bowel cancer? 

According to new research funded by Cancer Research UK, consuming an additional 300mg of calcium (about the amount in a large glass of milk) a day could be linked to decreasing the risk of bowel cancer by 17%.

Got milk?

Researchers from the University of Oxford have published the largest single study of diet and bowel cancer to date in Nature Communications. They used data from more than 500,000 women to investigate the link between 97 dietary products and nutrients and bowel cancer risk over an average time of 16 years.   

“This is the most comprehensive single study ever conducted into the relationship between diet and bowel cancer, and it highlights the potential protective role of calcium in the development of this disease,” said Dr Keren Papier, lead researcher of the study.  

They found that consuming foods rich in calcium, like milk and yoghurt, was linked to a lower risk of developing bowel cancer. And this was also true for non-dairy calcium sources, like dark green leafy vegetables. So, it’s likely that calcium is an important factor in helping reduce the risk of bowel cancer.

picture of Keren Papier smiling.
Keren Papier

“We have some idea on why calcium has this effect,” said Papier. “It’s suggested that calcium might protect against bowel cancer by binding to bile acids and free fatty acids to form a type of a harmless ‘soap’, which stops them from damaging the lining of our gut.”   

This ‘soap’ effect helps these bile and fatty acids to be swept out of the gut like a ‘spring clean’ so they can’t build up and so are less likely to cause damage.

Added calcium

The study found that most women participating were consuming above the recommended level of calcium (over 700mg). But for some, this might be from having added calcium supplementation in their food. You can find added calcium in products like bread or certain vegan products (e.g. plant milks). But more research is needed into whether calcium supplements and calcium-fortified foods have the same effect on reducing bowel cancer risk. 

“We couldn’t look at the association between taking calcium supplements and bowel cancer risk in this study,” Papier explained. “Given the widespread use of calcium supplements, future studies should investigate the role of calcium supplements in the prevention of bowel cancer in diverse populations.” 

Other food links to bowel cancer

There are around 44,100 cases of bowel cancer every year in the UK, making it the 4th most common cancer. But more than 5 in 10 cases of bowel cancer are preventable. 

Diet and cancer can be tricky to map, but there are some clear links between certain dietary products and cancer risk. Papier’s study also confirms the clear link between alcohol consumption and higher bowel cancer risk. Drinking an additional 20g of alcohol a day, equivalent to a large glass of wine, was found to increase bowel cancer risk by 15%. 

“Bowel cancer is one of the most common cancers affecting people in the UK, which is why it’s so vital that we know how to prevent it,” said Sophia Lowes, our senior health information manager. 

“Alongside keeping a healthy weight and stopping smoking, maintaining a healthy, balanced diet is one of the best ways to lower your risk of bowel cancer. This includes cutting down on alcohol and red and processed meat, and eating lots of fruit, vegetables, and wholegrains. Dairy products like milk can also be part of a diet which reduces bowel cancer risk.” 

Next steps

It’s still too early to say whether increasing calcium levels is recommended for everyone. Papier and her team want to look further into calcium’s role in bowel cancer prevention in different populations with diverse diets, to understand how it can be best utilised to help prevent the disease. 

    Comments

  • Zahra Kassam
    11 April 2025

    Misleading headline suggesting the benefit is only from milk. The study authors note that it is calcium sources not dairy specifically. This is very problematic from a bias perspective, but also to the 70% of the population that is lactose intolerant and for those who choose not to have dairy for other reasons including ethical, religious and environmental. The headline should be changed.

  • KM
    6 February 2025

    Seems misleading. Consuming calcium rich foods = reduced risk in cancer, is not the same conclusion as drinking milk = reduced risk in cancer. There’s so many other sources of calcium that don’t come with all the downsides milk does (saturated fats, hormones, antibiotic use, animal cruelty etc.).

  • Juliet Wright
    5 February 2025

    Why does Cancer Research focus on milk as the major food of benefit? It comes across as biased, unscientific and misleading. Why not just go clearly with the truth that it is calcium benefitting people and that calcium can be obtained from important healthy plant food sources that do not have the other negative health, welfare or environmental issues of dairy.

  • Jesss
    25 January 2025

    I read the research. CALCIUM is what they concluded made the difference, in any form (dairy or plants etc).

    Here are some quotes about other things which the study believes may have a positive (bad) or inverse (good) effect on this cancer.

    “Apart from alcohol, the only dietary factor which was positively associated with colorectal cancer risk in these data was red and processed meat consumption.

    We showed a positive association with red and processed meat intake and weaker inverse associations with breakfast cereal, fruit, wholegrains, carbohydrates, fibre, total sugars, folate, and vitamin C.

    We conclude that dairy products help protect against colorectal cancer, and that this is driven largely or wholly by calcium.”

  • Sally Cataroche
    17 January 2025

    It seems vitamin D is crucial to absorbing calcium, which so many of us don’t get. Also factors like K2 and magnesium needed. Is it more our modern diets to blame? I try to eat a very varied healthy diet and I still feel a lot better by taking a vitamin B complex tablet, which helps enormously with low mood and a multivitamin helps me with the restless legs and sleeping. I lost a brother to bowel cancer and my sister is battling it now.

  • Marianne
    15 January 2025

    The paper specifically says there was no variation in risk reduction based on the specific source of dietary calcium, and that when they looked at calcium itself and dairy milk, the calcium was protective *but the dairy milk was not*. So it’s not a directive to drink more milk, and doesn’t say that milk will cure or prevent bowel cancer! Just a link between having more calcium (from any source) and a bit of a reduction in risk. Certainly doesn’t mean people won’t get cancer if they drink milk every day.

  • Wayne Kenzitt
    13 January 2025

    When we are in Junior School, we are given milk (calcium), which aids in bone health, so why do people still get bowel cancer, Research also shows that we should avoid eating food like bacon as it contains nitrates, but are expected to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and nitrates are also i fruit and vegetables. Also foods like cheese which is rich in calcium, but may also contain a lot of fat, this is misleading research.

  • Jim Gilly
    11 January 2025

    Many of these studies do not prove “cause/effect” and are often funded/influenced by special interest. There are a few common sense and obvious things to avoid such as smoking but beyond that you are unlikely to live much longer by avoiding many of the foods and beverages they tell you to avoid and you could actually die sooner because of being stressed about what to do and what not to do.

    Best advice is to stay active, do everything in moderation and enjoy your life while you can. When your time is up it’s up, plain and simple.

  • Mrs A Gibson
    9 January 2025

    I was very upset about this article as I have drunk milk every day since I was born, some 69 years ago and yet I got bowel cancer in May 2019, no warning signs and saw two doctors who said there were no concerns, I’d had tummy issues and one borderline bowel screening test!,
    Where did go wrong.

  • Katie
    9 January 2025

    So it’s calcium that has the impact, not milk itself? Seems misleading to go with this as the headline when there are millions of people around the world who are intolerant to dairy and/or don’t want to buy into the dairy industry.

  • LB
    9 January 2025

    Fantastic. Great to see natural milk back in the conversation. In balance a glass of dairy milk is better for you, than many of these ultra processed alterntive milk drinks that contain extra salt, sugar and stabilisers. Back to whole foods for me!

  • Stephen Mac
    9 January 2025

    Many thanks for this information. I have porridge oats everyday, made with water, but will switch now to low fat milk. I usually only consume milk in coffee or tea so hopefully this is a small step in the right direcion.

  • Simon Carter
    8 January 2025

    Who funded this research please?

  • reply
    Tim Gunn
    10 January 2025

    Hi Simon,

    Thanks for your question. This study was funded by Cancer Research UK and the UK Medical Research Council.

    Best wishes,

    Tim, Cancer Research UK

  • Angela Coleman
    8 January 2025

    I had breast cancer Stage 3 in 2009 (age 58) – treatment was mastectomy, chemo and radiotherapy. I drink 2 glasses of white wine per day, eat processed ham and red meat regularly however I eat a varied diet with plenty of fish, fresh veg, nuts, fruit and fibre. I also drink around 1 pint of milk per day plus 2 large tablespoons of full fat natural yogurt with milk on my muesli in the morning plus I take 1 x 253 mg calcium tablet per day to guard against osteoporosis. Now aged 73, I shall continue to do so but at the same time am trying to be more sparing with the processed and red meat.

  • Richard
    8 January 2025

    Fantastic back to reality that milk is good for you 👍

  • RE
    8 January 2025

    Given that livestock farming is extremely damaging to the environment (and therefore people) it might have been better to focus on the benefit of calcimin enriched milks rather than the harmful industry dairy industry. Also why have you not mentioned red and processed meat that were included in the study?

Tell us what you think

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Read our comment policy.

    Comments

  • Zahra Kassam
    11 April 2025

    Misleading headline suggesting the benefit is only from milk. The study authors note that it is calcium sources not dairy specifically. This is very problematic from a bias perspective, but also to the 70% of the population that is lactose intolerant and for those who choose not to have dairy for other reasons including ethical, religious and environmental. The headline should be changed.

  • KM
    6 February 2025

    Seems misleading. Consuming calcium rich foods = reduced risk in cancer, is not the same conclusion as drinking milk = reduced risk in cancer. There’s so many other sources of calcium that don’t come with all the downsides milk does (saturated fats, hormones, antibiotic use, animal cruelty etc.).

  • Juliet Wright
    5 February 2025

    Why does Cancer Research focus on milk as the major food of benefit? It comes across as biased, unscientific and misleading. Why not just go clearly with the truth that it is calcium benefitting people and that calcium can be obtained from important healthy plant food sources that do not have the other negative health, welfare or environmental issues of dairy.

  • Jesss
    25 January 2025

    I read the research. CALCIUM is what they concluded made the difference, in any form (dairy or plants etc).

    Here are some quotes about other things which the study believes may have a positive (bad) or inverse (good) effect on this cancer.

    “Apart from alcohol, the only dietary factor which was positively associated with colorectal cancer risk in these data was red and processed meat consumption.

    We showed a positive association with red and processed meat intake and weaker inverse associations with breakfast cereal, fruit, wholegrains, carbohydrates, fibre, total sugars, folate, and vitamin C.

    We conclude that dairy products help protect against colorectal cancer, and that this is driven largely or wholly by calcium.”

  • Sally Cataroche
    17 January 2025

    It seems vitamin D is crucial to absorbing calcium, which so many of us don’t get. Also factors like K2 and magnesium needed. Is it more our modern diets to blame? I try to eat a very varied healthy diet and I still feel a lot better by taking a vitamin B complex tablet, which helps enormously with low mood and a multivitamin helps me with the restless legs and sleeping. I lost a brother to bowel cancer and my sister is battling it now.

  • Marianne
    15 January 2025

    The paper specifically says there was no variation in risk reduction based on the specific source of dietary calcium, and that when they looked at calcium itself and dairy milk, the calcium was protective *but the dairy milk was not*. So it’s not a directive to drink more milk, and doesn’t say that milk will cure or prevent bowel cancer! Just a link between having more calcium (from any source) and a bit of a reduction in risk. Certainly doesn’t mean people won’t get cancer if they drink milk every day.

  • Wayne Kenzitt
    13 January 2025

    When we are in Junior School, we are given milk (calcium), which aids in bone health, so why do people still get bowel cancer, Research also shows that we should avoid eating food like bacon as it contains nitrates, but are expected to eat a lot of fruit and vegetables and nitrates are also i fruit and vegetables. Also foods like cheese which is rich in calcium, but may also contain a lot of fat, this is misleading research.

  • Jim Gilly
    11 January 2025

    Many of these studies do not prove “cause/effect” and are often funded/influenced by special interest. There are a few common sense and obvious things to avoid such as smoking but beyond that you are unlikely to live much longer by avoiding many of the foods and beverages they tell you to avoid and you could actually die sooner because of being stressed about what to do and what not to do.

    Best advice is to stay active, do everything in moderation and enjoy your life while you can. When your time is up it’s up, plain and simple.

  • Mrs A Gibson
    9 January 2025

    I was very upset about this article as I have drunk milk every day since I was born, some 69 years ago and yet I got bowel cancer in May 2019, no warning signs and saw two doctors who said there were no concerns, I’d had tummy issues and one borderline bowel screening test!,
    Where did go wrong.

  • Katie
    9 January 2025

    So it’s calcium that has the impact, not milk itself? Seems misleading to go with this as the headline when there are millions of people around the world who are intolerant to dairy and/or don’t want to buy into the dairy industry.

  • LB
    9 January 2025

    Fantastic. Great to see natural milk back in the conversation. In balance a glass of dairy milk is better for you, than many of these ultra processed alterntive milk drinks that contain extra salt, sugar and stabilisers. Back to whole foods for me!

  • Stephen Mac
    9 January 2025

    Many thanks for this information. I have porridge oats everyday, made with water, but will switch now to low fat milk. I usually only consume milk in coffee or tea so hopefully this is a small step in the right direcion.

  • Simon Carter
    8 January 2025

    Who funded this research please?

  • reply
    Tim Gunn
    10 January 2025

    Hi Simon,

    Thanks for your question. This study was funded by Cancer Research UK and the UK Medical Research Council.

    Best wishes,

    Tim, Cancer Research UK

  • Angela Coleman
    8 January 2025

    I had breast cancer Stage 3 in 2009 (age 58) – treatment was mastectomy, chemo and radiotherapy. I drink 2 glasses of white wine per day, eat processed ham and red meat regularly however I eat a varied diet with plenty of fish, fresh veg, nuts, fruit and fibre. I also drink around 1 pint of milk per day plus 2 large tablespoons of full fat natural yogurt with milk on my muesli in the morning plus I take 1 x 253 mg calcium tablet per day to guard against osteoporosis. Now aged 73, I shall continue to do so but at the same time am trying to be more sparing with the processed and red meat.

  • Richard
    8 January 2025

    Fantastic back to reality that milk is good for you 👍

  • RE
    8 January 2025

    Given that livestock farming is extremely damaging to the environment (and therefore people) it might have been better to focus on the benefit of calcimin enriched milks rather than the harmful industry dairy industry. Also why have you not mentioned red and processed meat that were included in the study?

Tell us what you think

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Read our comment policy.