Calcium, vitamin D and dairy intake were previously said to reduce the incidence of colorectal cancer. However, in patients with colorectal cancer, it has also been studied that calcium, vitamin D and dairy intake before and after colorectal cancer diagnosis are negatively associated with all-cause mortality and colorectal cancer-specific mortality. A recent study published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology evaluated these theses. Yang and fellow researchers from the American Cancer Society analyzed the role of calcium, vitamin D and dairy intake before and after diagnosis of non-metastatic colorectal cancer. The study population included 2,284 participants in a prospective, head-to-head study. In this multivariate analysis, calcium intake after diagnosis was negatively associated with all-cause mortality (associated risk [RR], 0.72; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.53 to 0.98; P=0.02). Milk intake was also negatively associated with all-cause mortality in postdiagnostic observations (RR, 0.72; 95% CI, 0.55 to 0.94; P=0.02), but this was not the case for vitamin D intake. Pre-diagnostic intake was not associated with mortality. Perspective Review Dietary and lifestyle factors are important issues for localized colorectal cancer survivors. Unfortunately, randomized trials in this setting are difficult to conduct, require long-term follow-up, and do not control for all lifestyle factors. Therefore, data provided by well-conducted cohort studies may be sufficient to provide recommendations for patients. This study suggests a correlation between increased milk and calcium intake and improved prognosis. Limitations include a higher rate of lactase persistence in the predominantly white study population; in addition, the lack of a relevant association for vitamin D intake is inconsistent with existing reports. For colorectal cancer survivors, increasing milk and calcium intake while reducing red meat intake and engaging in regular exercise could be a hot topic of discussion for modifying lifestyle risk factors.