title: Calcium and dairy food intakes are inversely associated with colorectal cancer risk in the Cohort of Swedish Men.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Recent epidemiologic studies have generally reported a modest inverse association between calcium intake and the risk of colorectal cancer. However, findings pertaining to specific subsites in the colorectum have been conflicting.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  Our objective was to prospectively examine the relations between intakes of calcium and dairy foods and the risk of colorectal cancer, overall and by anatomic subsite, in men from the Cohort of Swedish Men.
  
  
  METHODS
  In 1997, 45 306 men aged 45-79 y and without a history of cancer completed a food-frequency questionnaire. The men were followed through 31 December 2004.
  
  
  RESULTS
  During a mean follow-up of 6.7 y, we ascertained 449 incident cases of colorectal cancer. After adjustment for age and other known or potential risk factors, the multivariate rate ratio (RR) of colorectal cancer for men in the highest quartile of total calcium intake compared with those in the lowest quartile was 0.68 (95% CI: 0.51, 0.91; P for trend = 0.01). A high consumption of dairy foods was also associated with a lower risk of colorectal cancer. The multivariate RR of colorectal cancer for > or = 7 servings/d of total dairy foods compared with <2 servings/d was 0.46 (0.30, 0.71; P for trend = 0.01). For cancer subsites, the corresponding RRs were 0.37 (0.16, 0.88) for proximal colon, 0.43 (0.20, 0.93) for distal colon, and 0.48 (0.23, 0.99) for rectum.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Our findings provide support for inverse associations between intakes of calcium and dairy foods and the risk of colorectal cancer.
authors.affiliation: Division of Nutritional Epidemiology, National Institute of Environmental Medicine, Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden. susanna.larsson@ki.se
authors.forename: Susanna C
authors.initials: SC
authors.lastname: Larsson
authors.forename: Leif
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Bergkvist
authors.forename: Jörgen
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rutegård
authors.forename: Edward
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Giovannucci
authors.forename: Alicja
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wolk
mesh_terms: D000368:Aged; D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents / Q000008:administration & dosage; D002136:Calcium, Dietary / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D015331:Cohort Studies; D015179:Colorectal Neoplasms / Q000453:epidemiology / Q000517:prevention & control*; D003611:Dairy Products; D004032:Diet; D005500:Follow-Up Studies; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015999:Multivariate Analysis; D011446:Prospective Studies; D012307:Risk Factors; D011795:Surveys and Questionnaires; D013548:Sweden / Q000453:epidemiology
chemical_list: D016588:Anticarcinogenic Agents; D002136:Calcium, Dietary