Research

Mixed

High intake of yogurt (specifically fermented milk containing live lactic acid bacteria) is associated with a significantly decreased risk of colorectal cancer (CRC), with a stronger protective effect observed in men compared to women.

Incorporate high-quality yogurt into your daily diet, specifically looking for products with live active cultures (Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus). The study suggests that consuming roughly 85-100 grams per day (a standard serving) is associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer. This benefit appears to hold for both full-fat and low-fat varieties, though the effect was statistically stronger in men. You do not need to avoid yogurt due to fat content; the fermentation process and live bacteria are the key factors.

GoodSupportsHIGH confidence
In our prospective study, high yogurt intake was significantly associated with decreased CRC risk... The protective effect of yogurt was evident in the entire cohort, but was stronger in men... HR for CRC in the highest versus lowest tertile of yogurt intake was 0.62 (95% CI, 0.46–0.83).
Valeria Pala et al. · International Journal of Cancer · 2011

Why this rating

Large prospective cohort (n=45,241), long follow-up (12 years), rigorous adjustment for confounders, but observational design prevents causal proof.

Source

Yogurt consumption and risk of colorectal cancer in the Italian European prospective investigation into cancer and nutrition cohort

Valeria Pala et al. · International Journal of Cancer · 2011

DOI 10.1002/ijc.26193

cohort · n=45241Cited 191×
Read the paper
DOI resolved against Crossref · corpus check 2026-06-10

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