Related: Could Inflammation Raise Your Colon Cancer Risk? Here’s What a New Study Says Some research has suggested that shifting your routine can help you lower your risk—whether that means enjoying a glass of milk or aiming for anti-inflammatory foods and habits.

Just two servings of yogurt a week may protect the bowels from some specific types of cancer, according to a new long-term study in the US. For years now, scientists have suspected yogurt and its living bacteria have benefits for gastrointestinal health,

Their findings? Those who ate more yogurt had a 20% lower risk of colon cancer if their tumors contained Bifidobacterium. What's more, this effect was much more noticeable in cancers that started in the proximal colon (or the first part of the large intestine).

According to researchers at MGB, those who have two or more servings of yogurt weekly tend to have a reduced risk of one type of colon cancer.

Regular yogurt intake may lower the risk of Bifidobacterium-positive colorectal cancer, particularly in the proximal colon, but does not reduce the risk of Bifidobacterium-negative tumors. Further research is needed to confirm these findings and understand yogurt’s role in gut health and cancer prevention.