Calcium for Cancer Protection

A large new study of older men and women suggests that the more calcium you get - particularly from food - the less likely you are to develop some types of cancer. More than 492,000 people took part in the study, which was published in the Feb. 23, 2009 Archives of Internal Medicine. Over seven years, more than 50,000 study participants developed cancer, mostly prostate, breast, lung and colorectal. Those who consumed the most calcium had the lowest risk of colon cancer (the men averaged 1,530 mg of calcium daily; the women, 1,881 mg). Men who received the most calcium from food were about 16 percent less likely to get colon cancer than men whose calcium consumption was low. Women who got the most calcium from food were 28 percent less likely to develop colon cancer than those whose calcium consumption was low. The types of cancer that occurred most often in the study population were prostate, breast, lung and colorectal. Other studies have linked calcium consumption in men to prostate cancer, but this one showed no such risk. Researchers said more studies are needed to confirm the findings.