Plus, the foods that could be increasing your risk.
But healthy bones arent the only benefit of drinking dairy milk.
Of course, if youre allergic to milk, then it is inflammatory for you.
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That allergy has more to do withthe proteins in milkthan the bang out of fat, though.
Its a similar situation with milk sensitivities, although its not necessarily the milk causing the inflammation.
And its this inflammation that makes people more sensitive to certain foods, including dairy.
Chronic inflammation is a culprit behind most chronic illnesses, including heart disease, diabetes, arthritis and cancer.
If milk is potentially anti-inflammatory, could people who drink milk regularly decrease their risk of colorectal cancer?
They published their findings in the January 2025 edition ofNature Communications.Heres what they found.
How Was This Study Conducted?
Researchers drew data from a large prospective study in the U.K. called the Million Women Study.
What Did This Study Find?
Researchers ran several statistical analyses, including a Mendelian randomization, which takes genetic differences into account.
Here are a few of their findings.
Its important to note that they found a stronger association for processed meat than for red meat.
By includingthese types of foodsin your eating pattern, your risk for colorectal cancer may go down.
Significantly, the researchers also found that all dairy-related foodsexcept cheese and ice creamwere inversely associated with colorectal cancer.
How Does This Apply to Real Life?
In a nutshellif you want to lower your colorectal cancer risk, drink milk and skip the booze.
Its also important to monitor your intake of processed meats.
This includes deli meat, sausage, bacon, pepperoni, hot dogs, chicken nuggets and ham.
Processed meats dont only raise your risk of colorectal cancer.
Theyve also been implicated inraising the risk of diabetes,heart disease and stroke.
Some researchers have even linked processed meat consumption to an increased dementia risk.
If possible, get your calcium through food.
If you dont like or arent able to tolerate milk, there are plenty ofother foods that offer calcium.
And since being well-hydratedhelps fiber do its job, confirm youre drinking plenty of water, too.
- doi:10.1186/s12986-020-00527-y
American Cancer Society.Key Statistics for Colorectal Cancer.
Doi: 10.1038/s41467-024-55219-5
National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism.
Alcohols Affects on Health.What Is a Standard Drink?.
United States Department of Agriculture.
FoodData Central.Milk, whole.
