The Study
Pre- and post-diagnostic dairy intake in relation to recurrence and all-cause mortality in people with stage I-III colorectal cancer
This study looked at what people with colon cancer ate before and after their diagnosis, and noticed that those who ate more low-fat dairy like skim milk and yogurt tended to live longer. But it didn't make people change what they ate—it just watched what they already did. So we can't say dairy caused them to live longer, just that there's a link.
Analysis score
Maximum 72 for a cohort study.
Where the score came from
This study looked at whether eating dairy like milk, yogurt, or cheese before or after being diagnosed with colon cancer affects survival or cancer coming back.
Where does this study sit?
Reviews of RCTs (Meta-analyses)
Max 100Randomized Trials
Max 90Reviews of Cohort Studies
Max 85Cohort Studies
Max 72Reviews of Case-Control Studies
Max 63Case-Control Studies
Max 58Cross-Sectional & Case Series
Max 50Expert Opinion
Max 566 / 100
Quality score
Groups of people are followed over time to see who develops an outcome. Strong for identifying risk factors and associations, but cannot prove causation as firmly as RCTs.
Key takeaways
Summary
Based on the study abstract and findings.
- 1Yes — these differences are large enough to matter for daily food choices, especially for cancer survivors trying to improve their long-term health.
- 2People who ate more low-fat dairy (like skim milk or low-fat yogurt) before diagnosis had 58% lower risk of dying and 58% lower risk of cancer returning.
- 3After diagnosis, eating more low-fat dairy lowered death risk by 24%, but didn't stop cancer from coming back.
- 4Eating more high-fat dairy (like whole milk or cheese) after diagnosis raised death risk by 60%.
Score breakdown, methodology, conflicts of interest, evidence analysis & raw study data
Publication
Journal
European Journal of Nutrition
Year
2023
Authors
A. van Lanen, D. Kok, E. Wesselink, R. Winkels, Henk K. van Halteren, J. D. de Wilt, E. Kampman, F. V. van Duijnhoven
Related Content
Claims (6)
People who eat cheese have the same or lower risk of dying from any cause compared to those who eat less cheese.
Adults with stage I-III colorectal cancer who consume at least 81 grams of high-fat dairy per day after diagnosis have a 60% higher risk of dying from any cause compared to those who consume 48 grams or less per day.
Adults with stage I-III colorectal cancer who consumed more high-fat dairy before diagnosis had a 41% higher rate of death from any cause compared to those who consumed less.
Adults with stage I-III colorectal cancer who consume low-fat dairy after diagnosis have a 24% lower risk of dying from any cause, but their risk of cancer returning is not affected.
Adults diagnosed with stage I-III colorectal cancer who consumed at least 165 grams of low-fat dairy per day before diagnosis had a 58% lower risk of dying from any cause and a 58% lower risk of cancer returning, compared to those who consumed 70 grams or less per day.
Adults with stage I-III colorectal cancer who consumed more low-fat dairy before their diagnosis had a 58% lower risk of dying from any cause and a 58% lower risk of cancer returning, while those who consumed more low-fat dairy after diagnosis had a 24% lower risk of dying from any cause.
Not medical advice. For informational purposes only. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before making health decisions.