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Men who snack on milk, ice cream and cheese
may have a greater risk of developing prostate cancer than
their peers who consume less calcium from dairy products,
according to researchers.
Their study of nearly 21,000 men found
that those who consumed more than 600 milligrams (mg) of calcium
daily from dairy products had a 32%
higher risk of prostate cancer than men who consumed
no more than 150 mg of calcium a day, over 11 years.
Each additional daily increase of 500
mg of calcium from dairy products was associated with a 16%
increase in prostate cancer risk.
A high calcium intake, particularly from
dairy products, may
suppress blood levels of vitamin D. Besides
serving as an important nutrient, vitamin D is a hormone that
may protect against prostate cancer by preventing the proliferation
of prostate cancer cells.
American
Journal of Clinical Nutrition 2001;74:549-554
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