Antimutagenic properties of various dietary components have been investigated
in many studies, in order to find compounds protective against the various steps of
carcinogenesis. Indeed, cancer is now the principal cause of death in industrialised
countries and treatment is still difficult. Thus, research in prevention is of extreme
importance. While, the etiology of most cancers has an environmental component,
colon or breast cancers are highly linked to dietary habits (up to 50% of colorectal
cancers are due to diet; Riboli et al. 1996). In this context, Boutron et al. (1996)
showed inverse correlation between consumption of dairy products and colorectal
cancer in France.