Researchers in one study analyzed the diets of 492,810 men and women. Over seven years of follow-up, men who consumed the most calcium, about 1,530 mg per day, were 16 percent less likely to develop digestive system cancers compared to those who got the least calcium, about 526 mg per day.
For women, those who consumed an average of 1,881 mg of calcium per day were 23 percent less likely to develop these cancers compared to women who averaged 494 mg of calcium per day.