Increased risk of prostate cancer in men who consume dairy products
There is some pretty convincing evidence that increased dairy consumption = increased risk of prostate cancer.
Prostate cancer has been found to be more prevalent in counties that consume more animal products especially when compared to countries such as Japan, Thailand, and China where diary is not a staple in their diet. As dairy and meat products have entered into the diets of these counties with westernization, there is a direct correlation with increased rates of prostate cancer in these countries where rates were previously lower.
What is the link with dairy consumption and prostate cancer
In 2016, researchers looked at results from eleven different studies and found that men consuming the most dairy products had a 43% higher risk of dying of prostate cancer, compared with men who generally avoided dairy products.
The Physicians’ Health Study, which included 20,885 men, found that those who had at least 2-2.5 dairy servings per day had a 34% increased risk of developing prostate cancer.
Another study, the Health Professionals Follow-up Study, which included 47,781 men, found that men drinking more than 2 servings of mild per day were 60% more likely to develop prostate cancer.
So what is thought to be the link between prostate cancer and dairy consumption?
“While scientists continue to tease out more details about how milk products cause cancer, it is useful to remember that nature designed milk for only one purpose - to provide temporary nourishment for rapidly growing infants. If we defeat the weaning process and continue to make drinking milk a lifelong habit, we make ourselves vulnerable to the effects that nature never intended. ”
First off, milk contain hormones and prostate cancer is a hormonally driven cancer. But it is not thought to be the estrogen found in pregnant and lactating cows. The culprit in dairy products may be the excess intake of IGF-1 (Insulin-like growth factor -1).
IGF-1 (Insulin-like growth factor) is a natural substance found in mammals. We make this growth factor to “promote growth”. This is important in childhood but as we reach adulthood, the production of IGF-1 should decrease naturally as we no longer need that strong stimulation to grow. As an adult, too much IGF-1 can actually stimulate other things to “grow” such as cancerous cells and tumors. Dairy consumption is adding extra IGF-1 to our already delicate balance of endogenous (or naturally occurring) IGF-1. This may be why we are seeing an increase in the incidence of prostate cancer in individuals that have higher intake of dairy products.
A study at Creighton University demonstrated that adults that consumed three daily servings of dairy products increased their IGF-1 levels by 10%.
In the Physicians’ Health Study (noted above), individuals that developed cancer had about 10% more IGF-1 on blood tests than individuals that did not develop cancer. So this alone, could be one of the driving factors for boosting tumor cell growth in prostate cancer.
There are dietary changes that can improve prostate cancer risk and survival
Decrease the consumption of animal products
Try to avoid dairy products
Focus on whole foods high in vegetables, fruits, whole grains, legumes
Work on achieving or maintaining a healthy weight
Focus on lycopene rich foods (tomatoes, watermelon, pink grapefruit, papaya) - contain antioxidants shown to decreased prostate cancer risk