A major study in the UK has found evidence that people whose diet contains the equivalent of a glass of milk a day have a reduced risk of bowel cancer.
Researchers analysed the diets of more than 500,000 women over the age of 16 and found that leafy greens, bread and calcium-rich non-dairy milk also had a protective effect.
The team also found that consuming too much alcohol and processed meat had the opposite effect, increasing the risk of the disease.
Cancer charities say that a balanced diet in the absence of smoking and with a healthy weight is the best way to reduce the risk of bowel cancer.
Research by the University of Oxford and Cancer Research UK shows that an extra 300mg of calcium in the daily diet, or a large glass of milk, reduces the risk of cancer by 17%.
