Yoghurt + high fibre diet = lowered risk of lung cancer

A study has found that a diet high in fibre and yoghurt is associated with reduced risk of lung cancer. The research conducted at Vanderbilt University Medical Center is based on an analysis of data from studies involving 1.4 million adults in the United States, Europe and Asia, with the results published in JAMA Oncology.

Participants were divided into five groups according to the amount of fibre and yoghurt they consumed. Those with the highest yoghurt and fibre consumption had a 33% reduced lung cancer risk compared with the group who did not consume yoghurt and consumed the least amount of fibre.

The pooled data showed that people who ate around one tub of yoghurt a day had a risk of lung cancer that was almost 20% lower than those not eating yoghurt. The study also showed a high fibre diet could reduce the risk of lung cancer by around 15%. Those who had high intakes of both fibre and yoghurt had a 33% lower risk of lung cancer.

“Our study provides strong evidence supporting the US 2015–2020 Dietary Guideline[s] recommending a high fibre and yoghurt diet,” said Xiao-Ou Shu, Ingram Professor of Cancer Research and co-leader of the Cancer Epidemiology Research Program at Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center.

“This inverse association was robust, consistently seen across current, past and never smokers, as well as men, women and individuals with different backgrounds,” she added.

Shu said the health benefits may be rooted in their prebiotic and probiotic properties, which may independently or synergistically modulate gut microbiota in a beneficial way.

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