Health News – A diet rich in fiber and yogurt is associated with a reduced risk of lung cancer, according to a new analysis.
The benefits of a high-fiber diet and yogurt for cardiovascular disease and gastrointestinal cancer have already been established. These new findings in JAMA Oncology and based on an analysis of data from studies involving 1.4 million adults in the United States, Europe and Asia, suggests that this diet may also protect against lung cancer.
Participants were divided into five groups based on the amount of fiber and yogurt they consumed. Those who consumed the most yogurt and fiber had a 33% lower risk of lung cancer compared to the group that consumed no yogurt and consumed the least amount of fiber.
“Our study provides strong evidence that the 2015-2020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines recommend a diet high in yogurt and yogurt,” said senior author Xiao-Ou Shu, MD, PhD, MPH, Ingram Professor of Cancer Research, associate director for global health and co-director of the Center for Cancer Epidemiology Research at Cannder-In.
The association, she said, was “strong” among current, former, and never smokers, as well as among men, women, and people of various ethnicities.
Shu suggests that the health benefits may be based on the prebiotics (digestible food that promotes the growth of beneficial microorganisms in the gut) and probiotic properties of both of these foods. Traits may independently or synergistically modulate the gut microbiota in a beneficial manner.
