The Benefits and Risks of Nutrients in Dairy Products You Need to Know

Men who consume significant amounts of dairy, notably milk, have a heightened risk of developing prostate cancer compared to those with lesser dairy consumption, reveals a study by Loma Linda University Health experts.

Interestingly, the risk isn’t associated with non-dairy calcium consumption, hinting that factors besides calcium in dairy might be the culprits in prostate cancer’s onset.

Dr. Gary Fraser, the lead author of this study and a professor at Loma Linda University, emphasized the significance of their findings, pointing out that dairy consumption, rather than non-dairy calcium, could be a controllable risk for prostate cancer.

Key findings include:

• Men who drank around 1 ¾ cups of milk daily (equivalent to 430 grams of dairy) saw a 25% surge in prostate cancer risk compared to those who had just ½ cup of milk weekly.
• This risk amplifies even more for those consuming the same daily amount when compared to those who avoided dairy entirely.

However, the types of milk (full-fat, reduced-fat, or nonfat) didn’t notably alter the results. Moreover, cheese and yogurt didn’t demonstrate significant risk connections.

Published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, the study examined the diets of over 28,000 North American men, all initially cancer-free. Their dietary habits were analyzed through questionnaires and periodic 24-hour recalls. By the study’s end, 1,254 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer.

Fraser and his team distinguished dairy and non-dairy calcium intake, analyzing dairy’s effects independently from other potential risk factors, thanks to the cohort’s diverse dietary patterns.

Interestingly, the risk didn’t linearly increase with each incremental dairy addition. Most risk elevation plateaued after consuming about two-thirds of a cup of milk daily. Previous research might have overlooked this pattern if their participants were already high dairy consumers.

Calcium intake alone didn’t notably influence prostate cancer occurrence. Dairy milk’s potential risks might be related to its hormone content, as many lactating cows are pregnant and prostate cancer is sensitive to hormones. Additionally, dairy and certain animal proteins have been previously linked to higher levels of a hormone that might promote specific cancers, including prostate.

A parallel study about dairy’s effects on women’s breast cancer risk produced comparable findings. Both showed non-linear risk increments with increased consumption.

Fraser added, “The parallels between our breast cancer in women paper a year ago and this paper relating to men, are striking. It seems possible that the same biological mechanisms are at work.”

Yet, Fraser clarifies that the study doesn’t definitively prove milk as the cause of prostate cancer.

In light of these findings, Fraser suggests that men, especially those at risk, “be cautious” in their dairy intake.

“If you think you’re at higher-than-average risk, consider the alternatives of soy, oat, cashew, and other non-dairy milks,” he concluded.

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