EFFECT OF DAIRY-PRODUCTS ON INITIATION OF PRECURSOR LESIONS OF COLON-CANCER IN RATS

This study reports the modulating effect of some dairy products on ini tiation of putative preneoplasic lesions in rat colon (aberrant crypts ) by 1,2-dimethylhydrazine dihydrochloride. Uninoculated skim milk, sk im milk fermented with Bifidobacterium sp Bio (Danone strain 173010), and a suspension of the same lactic acid bacteria were incorporated in the animals' diet. The rested diets significantly reduced the inciden ce of aberrant crypts compared with the control diet by 51%, 49%, and 61%, respectively. The effects of the diets on cecal pH, hepatic UDP-g lucuronyltransferase activity, and cecal microflora enzyme beta-glucur onidase were also studied. There was no significant difference in ceca l pH between rats fed experimental diets and control rat. The diet sup plemented with the Bifidobacterium strain suspension significantly dec reased only the cecal beta-glucuronidase activity. Both enzyme activit ies were reduced in rats fed fermented skim milk- or uninoculated skim milk-supplemented diets compared with control animals.