Your bowl of yogurt can do more than aid digestion. It could help protect against colon cancer too – ThePrint

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New Delhi: If yogurt is part of your diet regularly, the good habit may not be only improving your digestion and reducing inflammation, but it is also likely protecting you against a certain aggressive type of colon cancer.
An interesting study that came out this month in the journal Gut Microbes and has got the attention of gastroenterologists and clinicians worldwide, suggested that long-term yogurt intake may protect against the development of colorectal cancer through changes in the gut microbiome.

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An interesting study that came out this month in the journal Gut Microbes and has got the attention of gastroenterologists and clinicians worldwide, suggested that long-term yogurt intake may protect against the development of colorectal cancer through changes in the gut microbiome.
As part of the study, researchers associated with Harvard University analysed dietary patterns of over 1.3 lakh people in the US for at least three decades and found that people who regularly ate two or more servings of yogurt a week had lower rates of developing certain types of colorectal cancer.

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As part of the study, researchers associated with Harvard University analysed dietary patterns of over 1.3 lakh people in the US for at least three decades and found that people who regularly ate two or more servings of yogurt a week had lower rates of developing certain types of colorectal cancer.
Specifically, the researchers found that the habitual yogurt eaters had less number of Bifidobacterium-positive proximal colon cancers, suggesting that tumours in yogurt consumers were less likely to contain Bifidobacterium, a sign of better gut barriers.
While yogurt is produced by adding a culture of gut-friendly bacteria such as Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus to milk, most yogurt also contains several other types of Lactobacilli and Bifidobacteria, sometimes used separately in treating conditions such as peptic ulcers.
Proximal colon cancer is a type of colon cancer that occurs on the right side of the colon and is known to have worse survival outcomes than cancers that occur in the distal colon (on the left side).

The findings may be crucial in highlighting the growing evidence of the connection between nutrition and cancer outcomes, Indian clinicians say.
“The role of long-term yogurt intake, particularly in individuals with Bifidobacterium-positive tumours, is a promising step towards understanding how we can leverage dietary interventions to reduce the risk of colorectal cancer,” Dr Prakruti Shah, gastroenterologist with Paras Health in Gurugram, told ThePrint.
Yogurt’s probiotic benefits are well-known for supporting gut health, and now there is a strong indication that it may have a potential impact on more serious conditions like cancer, she added.
According to GLOBOCAN 2022, a global cancer fact sheet by the World Health Organization, colorectal cancer is the sixth most common type of cancer in India and claims over 40,000 lives in the country annually.
What is worse is that in India, most patients are younger compared to the Western population, while this specific cancer is among the fastest-growing malignancies year-on-year, mainly due to lifestyle and dietary reasons.

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Promising findings
There has been some evidence on tumour-suppressive effects of the intake of yogurt, which typically contains Bifidobacteria, part of a healthy gut microbiome. While Bifidobacteria are not disease-causing bacteria, explained senior gastroenterologist and medical researcher Dr Rajeev Jayadevan, they have sometimes been found inside colorectal cancer tumours.
“This is believed to indicate a disrupted gut barrier, allowing these gut bacteria to infiltrate tumour tissue. Thus, the presence of Bifidobacterium in tumours is sometimes seen as a marker of an impaired gut barrier,” Dr Jayadevan said.
As part of the research, scientists followed up on dietary patterns of 1,32,056 individuals, 3,079 of whom had colorectal cancer cases, including 1,121 with available tissue Bifidobacterium data.
For this, statistics from two US-wide prospective cohort studies, namely the Nurses’ Health Study (NHS) and the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, were utilised. As part of these studies, participants were administered questionnaires at enrolment and every two years thereafter to collect data on demographics, lifestyle factors, medical history, and disease outcomes.

For the latest study, the authors examined yogurt consumption among individuals with colorectal cancer while also analysing their tumour tissue for the presence of Bifidobacterium.
According to the analysis, the association between long-term yogurt intake and colorectal cancer incidence differed by Bifidobacterium abundance in individuals who consumed two or more servings of yogurt per week compared to those who consumed less than one serving per month.
In regular yogurt eaters, the incidence was found to be 20 percent lesser.
“Long-term yogurt intake may be differentially associated with the incidence of proximal colon cancer according to Bifidobacterium abundance, suggesting the antitumour effect of yogurt intake on the specific tumour subgroup,” the scientists noted.
‘Need more evidence’
Jayadevan explained that the authors have suggested that since tumours in yogurt consumers were less likely to contain Bifidobacterium, their yogurt intake may have contributed to maintaining a healthier gut barrier, potentially preventing bacterial translocation into tumours.

“However, whether this demonstrates a protective effect of yogurt consumption remains speculative,” he cautioned.
Some other clinicians also agreed that while results are promising, they cannot be called definitive yet.
Dr Dipak Bhangale, a gastroenterologist and hepatologist with Kokilaben Dhirubhai Ambani Hospital, Navi Mumbai, told ThePrint that he has been seeing a concerning rise in colorectal cancer cases, particularly among younger individuals aged 25 to 30.
Previously considered a disease of the elderly, its early onset is now an alarming trend, he said, adding that while multiple factors contribute to this shift, one less-explored yet significant aspect is the role of the intestinal microbiome in gut health.
“The new research suggests a potential link between specific gut bacteria and colorectal cancer, offering new insights into disease development. Among the emerging findings, the protective role of probiotics, particularly yogurt, has gained attention,” Dr Bhangale underlined.

“Encouraging patients to incorporate yogurt into their diet may be a simple yet effective step in reducing cancer risk. However, further studies are needed to validate these findings and determine whether different types of yogurt have varying degrees of benefit.”
Dr Bhangale added that understanding the microbiome’s influence on colorectal cancer could pave the way for novel prevention strategies and, as research continues, it is crucial to explore dietary and probiotic interventions as potential tools for safeguarding intestinal health.
Dr Shah, meanwhile, highlighted that the research also underscores the critical role of the gut microbiome in gastrointestinal health and disease prevention.
“By nurturing the right balance of beneficial bacteria, we may be able to help the body better manage inflammatory responses and reduce the likelihood of tumour development. These findings pave the way for further exploration of dietary strategies in cancer prevention and patient care,” she said.
(Edited by Radifah Kabir)