New studies have shown that eating dairy products has been linked to a higher chance of developing prostate cancer. The same research shows that a plant-based diet appears to reduce the risks.
Past studies have found a link between consuming dairy products and that the disease is more prevalent in Western countries where dairy is the biggest source of calcium. In contrast, prostate cancer is less common in Asian countries where such foods are consumed much less.
To find out more, a team of researchers at the Mayo Clinic researched over 47 existing scientific journal articles published between 2006 and February 2017, and involving more than 1 million participants in total.
The resulting study linked plant-based diets, such as vegetarian and vegan, with a lower or unchanged risk of developing prostate cancer from the baseline.
However, eating animal products, and dairy in particular, was associated with an increased or unchanged risk of being diagnosed with the disease.
Each year, around 174,650 new cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed, making it the most prevalent form of the disease among men other than skin cancer.
Prostate Cancer is the second leading cause of cancer death in the United States after lung cancer. It kills around 31,620 people annually. It is most common in men over the age of 66, and in African Americans.
The researchers said their study was limited because it included a range of different papers with varying methods. Future research could test the validity of the findings by carrying out randomized control trials, they wrote, and by looking at the effects of other lifestyle factors like smoking and exercise.
The World Cancer Research Fund in a far more rigorous review finds being overweight/obese or tall were the only dietary factors probably associated with risk of prostate cancer. That review only considered dairy and calcium intake as a possible cause (i.e. insufficient evidence).
Vegans have around a 35 percent lower risk of prostate cancer than meat-eaters. But this may reflect the fact they are usually much lighter than meat-eaters rather than the absence of dairy foods from their diets.
Earlier this year, a separate study similarly suggested diet could affect a man's chances of developing prostate cancer by linking lower rates of the disease to mushroom consumption.
But Weilin Wu, a health information officer at Cancer Research U.K. who did not work on the study, cautioned to Newsweek at the time: "Since not much is known about preventing prostate cancer, studies like this are intriguing. But we need a lot more research to back it up and explain any possible link before we can say that people should stock up on mushrooms to cut their prostate cancer risk."
If you think that you are at risk for prostate cancer based on your diet, you might need a urologist. Having a urologist can help in your treatment of this issue. If you think this is an issue, don’t delay. Instead, pick up the phone and call Z Urology, with offices in South Florida. Call today!
We provide state-of-the-art urologic care in the South Florida area with a focus on both male and female urology. Our practice specializes in all urologic procedures, specifically, minimally invasive methods. Our three locations to choose from are located in Fort Lauderdale, Coral Springs and Pompano Beach.
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