Yogurt-Linked Gut Bacteria May Lower Colorectal Cancer Risk, Study Finds

Beneficial bacteria found in yogurt may reduce the risk of colorectal cancer, according to a study cited by DairyReporter.

Published in Gut Microbes, the research analyzed large dietary datasets from patients with colon cancer to explore whether the presence of Bifidobacterium in tumor tissue was associated with patient outcomes — specifically, whether bacterial abundance was positively or negatively linked to cancer incidence.

The underlying hypothesis was that long-term yogurt consumption could reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.

While the study has some limitations — such as reliance on self-reported data — it provides long-term insights by analyzing data collected over multiple time points. It also allowed researchers to examine how yogurt consumption correlates with other lifestyle factors.

For instance, participants who consumed more yogurt were more likely to have higher levels of folic acid, calcium, and vitamin D; to be more physically active; to smoke less; and to consume fewer processed foods.

Among the cohort of 132,056 individuals, there were 3,079 incident cases of colorectal cancer, including 1,121 for which Bifidobacterium tissue data was available.

Based on the findings, individuals who consumed two or more servings of yogurt per week had a lower incidence of tumors compared to those who consumed yogurt less than once a month. Notably, those with daily yogurt intake had the lowest incidence.

Out of the 1,121 colorectal cancer cases with available Bifidobacterium tissue data, 31% (346 cases) tested positive for Bifidobacterium, while 69% (775 cases) were negative.

“We tested the hypothesis that the association between long-term yogurt intake and colorectal cancer incidence may vary by Bifidobacterium tissue abundance,” the authors wrote.

“We observed such a differential association, particularly for proximal colon cancer, with a trend indicating that yogurt intake was associated with a lower incidence of proximal colon cancer in Bifidobacterium-positive cases (but not in Bifidobacterium-negative subtypes).