CALCIUM, PHOSPHORUS, VITAMIN-D, DAIRY-PRODUCTS AND COLORECTAL CARCINOGENESIS - A FRENCH CASE CONTROL STUDY

A protective effect of calcium against colorectal cancer has been desc ribed in Anglo-Saxon but not in Latin communities, and no such effect has been observed regarding adenomas. We investigated the relationship between calcium, dairy products and the adenoma-carcinoma sequence in a French region by comparing small adenoma (<10 mm, n=154), large ade noma (n=208) and polyp-free (n=426) subjects, and cancer cases (n=171) with population controls (n=309). There was no protective effect of c alcium against colorectal tumours except for low fat calcium and large adenomas in men (OR for highest quintile = 0.3, P for trend = 0.06). There was even a trend towards an increased risk of cancer with dairy calcium in men and nondairy calcium in women. Vitamin D was inversely related to the risk of small adenomas in women (OR for highest quintil e = 0.4, P for trend = 0.04). Regarding dairy products, only consumpti on of yoghurt displayed an inverse relationship with risk of large ade nomas, in both men and women. These data failed to demonstrate a prote ctive effect of calcium against colorectal carcinogenesis. They sugges t that the type of dairy product might be the important factor with re gard to prevention of colorectal tumours.