Study: Yogurt: Is The New - OId Wonder Food

It’s been touted for its probiotics benefits and the ability to improve digestive health. Now researchers say yogurt may also help reduce the risk of an important cancer. But there are a some warnings you also need to know.

By Colette Bouchez
You can hardly turn on the TV without seeing Jamie Lee Curtis talking to an endless string of women about constipation – and if she’s right, how a certain yogurt might help ease the situation.

Well move over Jamie, there’s a new claim in town! If a group of Swedish researchers are right, yogurt may not only cure your constipation, it just might prevent you from getting bladder cancer to boot!

Indeed, researchers from Karolinska Institute in Stockholm, Sweden contend that eating just two servings of yogurt a day – and, those yummy yogurt drinks count as well – reduces the risk of bladder cancer by nearly half for some folks, when compared to those who eat little or no yogurt.

While doctors aren’t sure exactly how the yogurt offers protection, they don’t think it’s the much touted probiotics component responsible for helping digesting. Instead, they believe it’s the culturing aspect of producing yogurt – and the formation of lactic acid bacteria that occurs in the process – that matters most.

Writing in the latest edition of the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition researchers say "Cultured milk products, such as yogurt, contain lactic acid bacteria, which have been shown to suppress bladder cancer in rats. Our research suggests a high intake may reduce the risk."
More importantly, the new research was not conducted on rats, but on humans – more precisely some 82,000 men and women who were followed over the course of nine years.

The result: Women who ate 2 servings of yogurt a day saw a 45% reduction in bladder cancer while men garnered a 36% reduction.

Now if you’re thinking you’re likely to get at least some similar benefits from other dairy products, guess again. Researchers say since lactic acid bacteria is key to protection the only dairy sources are sour milk or yogurt.

“Total dairy intake was not significantly associated with risk of bladder cancer. However, a statistically significant inverse association was observed for the intake of cultured milk (sour milk and yogurt,)”, write the researchers.

Bladder Cancer On The Rise
The good news about yogurt comes at a great time since the American Cancer society now reports that bladder cancer is on the rise. They say that 2008 alone there will nearly 69,000 people diagnosed with this disease – and some 14,000 deaths will be attributed to bladder cancer.

According to ACS the major symptoms of bladder cancer include recurring blood in the urine, as well as increased urination, or feeling the need to urinate and not able to do so. It’s important to note, however, that these same symptoms are also present in many non-cancerous bladder conditions, including simple urinary infections.

Extra Benefits of Yogurt - & A Warning
If you’re looking to cut your risks even further, try dipping a few cruciferous veggies in your yogurt. In studies published earlier this year in the journal, Cancer Epidemiology Biomarkers & Prevention, researchers found that consuming raw vegetables such as broccoli can cut the risk of bladder cancer by up to 36%.

Of course I probably don’t have to remind you that, if you’re over 40, low fat yogurt is also a wonderful source of bone-building calcium, which may help reduce your risk of osteopenia (weak bones) and osteoporosis.

That said, you may not be aware that unless you are also getting an adequate supply of vitamin D – from the sun or from supplements - your bones may not utilize all, or even a significant portion of the calcium found in yogurt.

Unlike milk, which provides about 25% of your daily intake of vitamin D per serving, yogurt contains none. And since recent studies show that nearly all Americans are vitamin D deficient -particularly those who live in the north, have dark skin or are over the age of 60 - to get the full bone-building potential of yogurt, it’s important to talk to your doctor about whether or not vitamin D supplementation may be necessary.

Also be aware that yogurt can be fattening! So always choose the low fat or no- fat variety for the biggest nutritional bang for your buck. And if you can, skip the tooty-fruity-flavored varieties. They are so loaded with corn syrup and sugars, the associated health risks almost begin to outweigh the benefits of eating yogurt.

For some delicious recipes using yogurt, click here

You may also be interested in reading:
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Or visit RedDressDiary - The Source For Fabulous Women Over 40!