April 7, 2000 – Research has shown a possible link between the consumption of dairy products and prostate cancer. Researchers are therefore starting to question the idea of getting a lot of calcium by consuming supplements or foods.
This is not the first study to discover a link between the risk of prostate cancer and dairy products (see news of July 13, 1999). The new research was presented at a meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research in San Francisco on April 5.
The data comes from a large study of 20,885 American doctors between 1982 and 1984. Over the next 10 years 904 of them developed prostate cancer. Researchers found that doctors who consumed at least 2 1/2 servings of dairy products per day had a 30% greater risk of developing prostate cancer than those who consumed less than half a serving.
Although this is a weak link, other studies have shown that calcium lowers the blood levels of the most active form of vitamin D, known as 1.25 dihydroxyvitamin D, and that this vitamin could protect against prostate cancer. As a result, even if milk is fortified with vitamin D, it can lower the level of its most active form.
Previous research by the same team had shown an even stronger link between prostate cancer and dairy products. This study, called the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, found that men who consumed a lot of dairy products had a 70% increase in their risk of developing prostate cancer. Those who took additional calcium supplements tripled their risk.
All of these studies taken together “tell us that we need to be careful with high consumption of dairy products and calcium supplements,” said Dr. Edward Giovannucci, one of the co-authors of the research.
HealthPassport.net
According to Associated Press, April 5, 2000
