A study by the US National Cancer Institute reveals that the colorectal cancer rates can reduce if dietary intake of calcium is increased. The study observed a 16 percent lesser risk of colorectal and other digestive systems cancers in 50 years-plus adults who took more calcium vis-à-vis those who had less calcium intake.

To arrive at the conclusion of the US National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study, lead researcher, Yikyung Park, a staff scientist at NCI, and her colleagues followed the almost 500,000 men and women participants over a seven-year period.

Reported their finding in the Archives of Internal Medicine, the researchers said that in all the participants, calcium intakes and dairy food were “inversely associated” with all the known digestive system cancers.

In fact, in case of women, calcium intake reduces the risk of cancers to a much greater degree – women who take sufficient amounts of calcium face a 23 percent lower than women who do not take less calcium! Park said that calcium affects cancer risk differently in women and men possibly because of “hormonal or metabolic factors.”

With calcium showing a reduction in anomalous growths and stimulating the usual turnover of cells in the gastrointestinal system, the recommended calcium intake, as per the US Institute of Medicine, is nearly 1,200 milligrams for adults above 50 years of age!