Children who regularly drink milk are up to 40 per cent less likely to suffer from bowel cancer, a new study has claimed.

Researchers at the University of Otago in New Zealand found that drinking nearly 250ml of milk daily has a strong protective effect against the disease, which kills more than 490,000 people worldwide.

According to them, the key to milk's anti-cancer effects appears to lie in daily consumption of it over several years in childhood, the Daily Mail reported.

"Our results suggest daily consumption of milk in childhood may reduce bowel cancer incidence, possibly by the action of calcium," said Professor Brian Cox, who led the research.

For their study, the researchers compared 562 bowel cancer sufferers aged 30 to 69 with a similar number of healthy volunteers. Each was quizzed on their health and lifestyle, including how often they drank free school milk.
They found milk helped but only if children drank it every day for at least four years.

After that, it appeared to reduce the risk of disease by almost 20 per cent and after six years the chances of a tumour were slashed by 40 per cent.

It is thought that long-term milk consumption builds up high levels of calcium in the body, which could protect the bowel against damage or kill cancer cells before a tumour forms.

However, Professor Cox said that further research may prove that milk could cut the risk of cancer in future generations.

"Our research team is planning further work which could confirm that the provision of milk at school can significantly reduce the risk of cancer in future generations," he said.
But Cancer Research UK warned some studies had shown a high-dairy diet could actually increase the chance of developing the disease.

A spokeswoman said: "The best ways to reduce bowel cancer risk are to keep a healthy weight, drink less alcohol and be physically active.

The new study was published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.