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Diet-wide analyses for risk of colorectal cancer: prospective study of 12,251 incident cases among 542,778 women in the UK

Author

Listed:
  • Keren Papier

    (University of Oxford)

  • Kathryn E. Bradbury

    (The University of Auckland)

  • Angela Balkwill

    (University of Oxford)

  • Isobel Barnes

    (University of Oxford)

  • Karl Smith-Byrne

    (University of Oxford)

  • Marc J. Gunter

    (Imperial College London
    International Agency for Research on Cancer)

  • Sonja I. Berndt

    (National Institutes of Health)

  • Loic Marchand

    (University of Hawaii Cancer Center)

  • Anna H. Wu

    (Department of Population and Public Health Sciences)

  • Ulrike Peters

    (Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center)

  • Valerie Beral

    (University of Oxford)

  • Timothy J. Key

    (University of Oxford)

  • Gillian K. Reeves

    (University of Oxford)

Abstract

Uncertainty remains regarding the role of diet in colorectal cancer development. We examined associations of 97 dietary factors with colorectal cancer risk in 542,778 Million Women Study participants (12,251 incident cases over 16.6 years), and conducted a targeted genetic analysis in the ColoRectal Transdisciplinary Study, Colon Cancer Family Registry, and Genetics and Epidemiology of Colorectal Cancer Consortium (GECCO). Alcohol (relative risk per 20 g/day=1.15, 95% confidence interval 1.09-1.20) and calcium (per 300 mg/day=0.83, 0.77–0.89) intakes had the strongest associations, followed by six dairy-related factors associated with calcium. We showed a positive association with red and processed meat intake and weaker inverse associations with breakfast cereal, fruit, wholegrains, carbohydrates, fibre, total sugars, folate, and vitamin C. Genetically predicted milk consumption was inversely associated with risk of colorectal, colon, and rectal cancers. We conclude that dairy products help protect against colorectal cancer, and that this is driven largely or wholly by calcium.

Suggested Citation

  • Keren Papier & Kathryn E. Bradbury & Angela Balkwill & Isobel Barnes & Karl Smith-Byrne & Marc J. Gunter & Sonja I. Berndt & Loic Marchand & Anna H. Wu & Ulrike Peters & Valerie Beral & Timothy J. Key, 2025. "Diet-wide analyses for risk of colorectal cancer: prospective study of 12,251 incident cases among 542,778 women in the UK," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 16(1), pages 1-12, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:16:y:2025:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-55219-5
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-55219-5
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