Study Reveals Yogurt’s Promising Potential in the Fight Against Colon Cancer

“Yogurt” or “Yoghourt” is a dairy product, obtained from milk which has fermented under the action of different lactic bacteria. The best known are Lactobacillus delbrueckii bulgaricus And Streptococcus Thermophilus. These bacteria transform milk sugar, lactose, into lactic acid. To carry out this transformation, bacteria must remain active in yogurt, the latter is therefore not sterilized.

Historically, this product comes from Türkiye. Today, it is very popular and its production has become industrial in the second half of the 20th century. It has thus become a consumer product in many countries of the world.
France is clearly no exception. In 2023, 8 out of 10 French people, that is to say 77% of the population, declared consuming yogurts. Even more remarkable, this consumption is 4.5 products per week!

Yogurts have very good reputation. They are considered good for health and therefore as essential foods. In addition, the French appreciate consuming them.
And so much the better, because they are essential for a balanced diet!

Essential products for food

Yogurts, and more broadly dairy products, are essential throughout life. This is especially true for children, at the time of their growth, and for the elderly. These foods bring calcium, essential for the manufacture of the bone and the maintenance of its solidity.
Thanks to vitamin D, another essential nutrient, calcium is absorbed by the body. This makes it possible to make bone tissue, to maintain it and also to prevent certain diseases, such as osteoporosis. Calcium is also important for other mechanisms such as muscle contraction or blood coagulation.

In view of the importance of these foods, it is recommended to consume 2 dairy products per day for adults before 55 years. After 55 years, it is better to go to 3 or 4 dairy products per day. However, beware of cheese! This food is rich in fat and salt and can therefore have harmful health effects, especially cardiovascular. We also avoid adding sugar to the dairy products.
Fresh creams and butters, although milk from milk, are not considered as dairy products. They are indeed rich in fat and therefore classified as fat.

Vegan regimes, that is to say without products from animal exploitation, develop. But, without consumption of dairy products, how to provide the needs of the calcium body? Some plants offer, such as fresh fruit or cereals and legumes. However, several studies specify that this calcium intake is not always sufficient compared to calcium present in dairy products.
People with a vegan diet must therefore control their calcium levels regularly and supplement if necessary.

In addition, yogurts have many health benefits.

>> Read also: Why are the cheeses with mold edible?

The benefits of health yogurt

The first thing to note about yogurts is that they are completely suitable for the food of people with lactose intolerance. Indeed, lactic bacteria have an enzyme, a lactase, which degrades lactose and which is active throughout the digestion process.
However, it is the lactase deficit that generates inconvenience in people intolerant to lactose. They may experience bloating, suffer from diarrhea or abdominal pain. The bacteria of yogurts by continuously producing their lactases avoid these discomforts.

Lactic bacteria, thanks to their ferments, are probiotics. These are living microorganisms which, ingested in adequate quantities, will bring a benefit to the functioning of our body.
The yogurt probiotics improve intestinal functional disorders, they reduce the severity of infectious diarrhea and have a favorable effect on post-antibiotic therapy. They also improve the eradication of a particular bacteria by 5 to 15%, Helicobacter pylorii. However, the latter promotes the emergence of gastroduodenal ulcers, gastric cancer and even has a link with Parkinson's disease.

Yogurt also has favorable effects on immunity. It increases the rate and activity of different actors in cellular immunity. Studies have thus observed a decrease in mild infectious episodes, such as colds, especially in the elderly.
Yogurts can also optimize the vaccination response and reduce the risk of allergy in children at risk.

Yogurt consumption also has an effect on overweight and obesity. It is indeed associated with significant weight loss, unlike the consumption of other dairy products.
Skinny yogurt and whole milk decrease the risk of the occurrence of metabolic syndromes, such as type 2 diabetes.

A consumption of around 90g per day of yogurt has also shown a very significant reduction in the risk of colorectal cancer.

How do these dairy products act on health?

The mechanisms explaining the positive effects of health yogurt are not all well known yet.

Regarding the action on weight, this could in particular come from calcium. The latter is indeed helping the lipid stool elimination.
Dairy proteins can also decrease the feeling of hunger. The microbiota certainly also plays a role.

The protective role of colorectal cancer yogurt could in particular come from the antitumoral properties of this food. This is particularly true on a colorectal cancer subtype involving a particular bacteria: Bifidobacterium.
These bacteria are in the human intestine and, paradoxically, in yogurt. In 30% of cases of colorectal cancer, they incorporate themselves into the tumor tissue and lead to a particularly aggressive form of cancer. Their incorporation in tumors would be made by their passage via a weakened intestinal barrier.

However, it is the presence of Bifidobacterium In yogurt that would protect against the risks of developing this type of colorectal cancer …
The bacteria has antioxidant, anti-inflammatory drugs and helps activate the immune system. This would in particular help to maintain the integrity of the semi-permeable barrier of the intestine.
Counter-wet, an increase in this bacteria in our body (via the consumption of yogurts), would help the maintenance of the intestinal barrier and would therefore avoid the leak of the bacteria.

So, should we rob the fresh radius of the supermarket?

In reality, everything is a matter of balance. Studies show this, regular consumption of yogurts, following the recommendations that we have mentioned beforehand, have beneficial effects.
However, it's like everything, you shouldn't abuse it. And above all, you have to be vigilant about what we consume!

All these benefits work with fermented products, such as yogurt, provided that you have no additions of substances: additives, sugars, fats … The benefits therefore mainly concern natural yogurt.

In the fresh department, there is a whole bunch of products that boast their merits, such as yogurt enriched in active bifidus. However, if we look at the list of ingredients, we observe many additives, which ultimately reduce the beneficial effects, or even can present a danger to health, certain additives being controversial.

Finally, it is therefore better to regularly consume natural yogurts, or other fermented products such as kefir, within a varied and balanced diet. This is what helps reduce the risk of pathologies.
In addition, this opens the way to food -based preventive medicine.