These new findings don’t mean you need to go out and add a calcium supplement to your routine – although the study’s authors have suggested that the impact of supplementation should be investigated in future studies. However, there could be benefits in assessing your calcium intake.

The study suggests that consuming an extra 300mg of calcium a day (on top of the NHS recommended amount of 700mg) is the key to reaping its cancer-protective benefits, which is equivalent to approximately 200g of cooked kale or a 250ml glass of milk. If you eat cheese, yoghurt, fortified plant-based milks and fortified bread and cereals, it’s likely you’re already consuming plenty of calcium every day; most of the women in the study were found to be consuming above the recommended 700mg mark.

It’s worth noting that one of the study’s other major findings was that drinking an additional large glass of wine a day, or 20g of alcohol, increases your risk of bowel cancer by 15%. In this way, it’s not enough to simply consume more calcium – harmful lifestyle habits can cancel out the positive effect.

An extra 300mg of calcium a day has been shown to cut your bowel cancer risk by 17% – this is what you need to know