A recent study conducted at Loma Linda University and published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition has identified a possible new substantial dietary risk factor for prostate cancer.
According to Russia Today, the study indicated that men who consume a lot of dairy had a greater chance of acquiring prostate cancer than those who drink less milk.
The study discovered that men who consumed roughly 430 grams of dairy products per day (1.75 cups of milk) had a 25% higher chance of getting prostate cancer than those who consumed less milk per day (about half a cup per week). Those who consumed milk on a regular basis had a greater risk of prostate cancer than men who avoided dairy products.
“Our findings add significant weight to prior data associating dairy products, rather than non-dairy calcium, as a modifiable risk factor for prostate cancer,” stated Dr. Gary Fraser, study lead author.
The study’s authors emphasize that their findings do not prove that drinking more milk raises the risk of prostate cancer perpetually. The elevated risk appears to be centered on two-thirds of a glass of milk each day.
‘Most of the persistent increase in risk is done by the time you reach 150 grams, which is around two-thirds of a cup of milk each day,’ adds Dr Fraser.
According to the study, “one interpretation is that dairy products, or another unknown, closely related risk factor, have a causal association to prostate cancer risk.”
Dr. Fraser believes that sex hormones in dairy milk are to blame. The majority of breastfeeding dairy cows (up to 75% of them) are pregnant, and prostate cancer is simply a hormone-responsive malignancy. Furthermore, past study has linked the consumption of dairy products and other animal proteins to greater levels of a specific hormone. IGF-1 (in the blood) is thought to promote the growth of various cancers, including prostate cancer.
This investigation complements a prior research undertaken at LLU. This study discovered that women who consume dairy milk had a higher chance of developing breast cancer.
“The similarities between our publication a year ago on breast cancer in women and this paper on males are startling; it appears conceivable that the same molecular pathways are at work,” says Dr. Freese.
The researchers noted that their findings do not prove that dairy milk causes prostate cancer, but rather that there is a link between milk consumption and an elevated risk of prostate cancer.
Researchers continue to advise men with a family history of prostate cancer to exercise caution while ingesting modest amounts of dairy milk.
“If you believe you are at a larger risk than the normal person,” Dr. Fraser adds, “explore alternatives to soy, oats, cashews, and other nondairy milks.”
These findings are not the result of a small-scale study. This study included almost 28,000 males from North America, with an average follow-up length of little under eight years.
At the outset of the trial, all subjects were cancer-free, but their dairy and calcium dietary patterns vary substantially. Some of the males consumed copious amounts of milk, while others eschewed any dairy products. Food Frequency Questionnaires (FFQ) and 24-hour food recalls were used to assess each man’s typical dairy intake. In addition, each patient performed a baseline survey, which collected demographic data such as body mass index, exercise habits, smoking habits, family cancer history, and prior prostate cancer tests.
After gathering all preliminary data, the researchers tracked cancer case records over the next eight years. A total of 1,254 prostate malignancies had been diagnosed among study participants by the conclusion of the monitoring period.
The research team took considerable effort to distinguish non-dairy calcium supplies (through nuts, fruits, seeds, legumes, vegetables, and so on) from dairy calcium sources. Then, regardless of any other conditions, a statistical model was applied to examine the effect of dairy consumption (non-dairy calcium, family medical history, age, etc.).
Overall, the authors of the study claim that the strategy they adopted, as well as the vast population sample they had to deal with, put them in a unique position to examine this issue.
“Because our research sample demonstrated considerable diversity and fluctuation in dairy intake and calcium levels,” Dr. Fraser continues, “we can pose the topic with unusual energy.”
“It is plausible that the same biological mechanisms are at action,” says Dr. Fraser.
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