Yogurt has always been a darling of the health industry, and its advertisements are everywhere. The promotional copy often contains words such as "maintaining the intestinal environment", "calcium supplementation" and "cancer prevention". Among them, the cancer prevention effect has attracted much attention. Can yogurt really bear this responsibility?

Is it true that drinking yogurt can prevent cancer?

● Data from over 1.9 million people shows that regularly drinking yogurt can reduce the risk of cancer by 19%.

Yogurt does indeed have some effect in preventing cancer. But talk is cheap; let's look at the facts.

The basic medical team analyzed all the articles published on the relationship between dairy product intake and cancer risk (a total of 61 academic research results and research data from more than 1.9 million people), and found that the intake of fermented dairy products, including yogurt and cheese, is correlated with a certain reduction in the risk of cancer. Among them, drinking yogurt regularly can effectively reduce the risk of cancer by about 19%, especially bladder cancer, colorectal cancer, and esophageal cancer.

Researchers from the Karolinska Institute and Ehrlich University in Sweden also surveyed the dietary habits of 82,002 healthy Swedish residents. Over an average of 9.4 years, 485 people were diagnosed with bladder cancer. Analysis of their dietary records revealed a correlation between yogurt consumption and the incidence of bladder cancer; people who drank yogurt daily had a 0.62 times lower chance of developing bladder cancer than those who did not.

In addition, numerous studies have confirmed that regularly drinking yogurt does indeed help prevent cancer.

● Why can yogurt prevent cancer?

The exact mechanism by which yogurt can reduce the incidence of bladder cancer is not yet clear. Some studies have reported that it is mainly because yogurt contains probiotics such as lactic acid bacteria, which have many benefits for the human body, including stimulating mucosal immunity, regulating inflammatory responses, enhancing immunity, inhibiting the growth of pathogenic bacteria in the intestines and reducing the occurrence of toxins, thereby reducing the incidence of tumors.

In addition, studies have shown that certain lactic acid bacteria have good tolerance and adsorption capacity for cadmium (classified by the World Health Organization as a human carcinogen), which can promote the excretion of cadmium through feces, thereby reducing the cadmium content in the liver and kidneys and playing an anti-cancer role.

●Yogurt is not medicine, and you can't achieve these health benefits and disease prevention effects just by drinking one or two cups.

Yogurt does indeed have many health benefits, that's undeniable. But please note, yogurt is not medicine, and you can't expect to achieve health benefits and disease prevention by drinking it for a day or two or a few months! It requires long-term, consistent consumption.

Although yogurt has many health benefits, there are many different types of yogurt on the market, and many of them are just lactic acid drinks disguised as yogurt. So, there are some tips for choosing healthy yogurt.

How to choose healthy yogurt?

Choose a brand of yogurt

With so many types of yogurt available, the simplest way to choose is to buy branded yogurt. Compared to smaller manufacturers, yogurt from major brands undergoes more testing and certification, ensuring higher quality.

Choose those with high protein content.

When buying yogurt, check the ingredient list on the packaging. Generally, if the protein content is ≥2.3% and the contents are thick or frozen, it can be identified as yogurt. On the other hand, those with a protein content ≥1.0% and a liquid, thin consistency are mostly lactic acid drinks, and those who want yogurt should avoid them.

Low in carbohydrates and fats

The carbohydrate content largely reflects the amount of added sugar in yogurt. Generally, the carbohydrate content in yogurt is around 10%-12%. If it exceeds this value, it is recommended not to buy it, especially for people who want to lose weight.

In short, the simplest way is to remember the mnemonic "two lows and one high": low carbohydrates, low fat, and high protein.