A Tangy Treat That's Good for Your Bladder

Here's a diet "do" that may help keep your bladder cancer-free. Start your day with some yogurt. Later, have some more for a snack.

Compared with their peers who never ate yogurt, people in a study who ate two or more servings daily had almost a 40 percent lower risk of bladder cancer. Talk about an antiager!

Lactic Acid in Action
Cultured milk products like yogurt contain something that other dairy items lack: lactic acid bacteria. Just how the bacteria helps stave off bladder cancer isn't clear, but the fact that it does have an immune-boosting reputation is one possibility. Can too much yogurt be a bad thing? See what the YOU Docs say.

Dairy That Really Does Your Body Good
Along with keeping bladder cancer at bay, yogurt has been shown to lower the risk of liver cancer, defend against gum disease, and -- when coupled with fiber-rich foods -- ease gas and bloating. So keep the yogurt coming with these recipe ideas

• Turn it into a drink. Try this Apricot Smoothie.
• Use it to make healthier blue cheese dressing. Try this Blue Cheese Sauce.
• Have it for dessert. Make this Fruit Salad with Lime Yogurt.
• Plop some on your soup -- like this Leek, Asparagus, & Herb Soup.

Find other delicious yogurt dishes at EatingWell.

Cultured milk, yogurt, and dairy intake in relation to bladder cancer risk in a prospective study of Swedish women and men. Larsson, S. C. et al., American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2008 Oct;88(4):1083-1087.