High Milk Intake Linked to Prostate Cancer

Researchers at the University of Iceland in Reykjavik performed a study on milk intake during puberty in men. The study group was comprised of 8,894 men born between 1907 and 1935 in Iceland. Through linkage to cancer and mortality registries, the men were followed for prostate cancer diagnosis and mortality from study entry (in waves from 1967 to 1987) through 2009. From 2002-2006, a subgroup of 2,268 participants reported their milk intake in early, mid-, and current life. During a 24-year follow-up, 1,123 men were diagnosed with prostate cancer, including 371 with advanced disease. Men who spent the first 20 years of life nea rReykjavik were 29% less likely to be diagnosed with advanced prostate cancer, compared with those who as teens lived in the rural areas. Among men who were born before 1920, the risk was 64% higher for men in the rural areas, compared with those in near Reykjavik.