Whole Milk Consumption Linked to Prostate Cancer Risk, Study Finds

Whole Milk Consumption Linked to Prostate Cancer

Men suffering from prostate cancer should avoid whole milk, says new research out of the University of California, San Francisco.

The research, published in the November 6 issue of the journal The Prostate, found that of more than 1,300 men participating in the Cancer of the Prostate Strategic Research Endeavor study over the course twelve years, the men who reported drinking whole milk four or more times per week experienced an 80 percent increased risk of recurrence compared with men who drank milk infrequently or not at all.

The researchers also noticed a correlation with body mass index (BMI) and recurrence of the disease. Men who were overweight or obese increased their risk of recurrence compared with normal weight men.

In the obese men, frequent whole milk consumption was linked to an increased risk of recurrence three times greater than men of the same weight or size who did not drink milk.

The findings weren’t conclusive, however. Men with BMIs below the cut-off point did not see any connection between milk consumption and an increased risk, leaving the authors to suggest the correlation may be coincidence.

But many doctors have warned against the consumption of animal products specifically because of their risk association with certain cancers. And LIVEKINDLY recently reported on a Mesothelioma cancer support site’s endorsement of the vegan diet for both prevention and recovery from the rare form of cancer.