**2.2 Dairy products**

Dairy products include milk (whole or skim milk), cheese (fresh, cottage, and hard cheese), and yogurt [17]. There is strong probable evidence that consuming dairy products, i.e., total dairy, milk, cheese, and dietary calcium, decreases the risk of CRC [8]. Dose-response meta-analyses of dairy products, milk, and dietary calcium were statistically significant with little or no heterogeneity. However, the evidence for cheese was not as strong as for other dairy products, with prospective studies finding no association between cheese intake and CRC risk, thus qualifying the level of evidence as not conclusive [7]. A pooled analysis reported significant inverse associations when comparing the highest with the lowest levels of milk intake and dietary calcium. Hence, there is evidence of plausible mechanisms in humans [8]. As there is probable evidence that milk consumption protects against CRC, it may be reasonable to encourage the consumption of milk for the prevention of CRC [4].
