Nonfat Milk Linked to Prostate Cancer

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Nonfat Milk Linked to Prostate Cancer

Posted by: Dr. Mercola
January 24 2008 | 61,700 views

milk, nonfat, skim, prostate cancer, dairy

Drinking low-fat or nonfat milk may increase a man’s risk of prostate cancer, while calcium and vitamin D intake appear to have little or no impact, according to two new studies.

The first, which included over 82,000 men between the ages of 45 and 72, found that neither calcium nor vitamin D from any source increased the risk of prostate cancer during the eight-year follow-up period.

However, further analysis by University of Hawaii researchers of food groups and consumption of dairy products found that drinking low-fat or nonfat milk increased the risk of localized tumors or non-aggressive tumors, while whole milk decreased this risk.

A second study by researchers from the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health investigated the relationship of calcium, vitamin D and prostate cancer in nearly 300,000 men.

After the average six-year follow-up period, skim milk was linked to advanced prostate cancer, while calcium from non-dairy food was linked to a reduced risk of non-advanced prostate cancer.

Sources:

Reuters January 2, 2008

American Journal of Epidemiology 2007 166(11):1259-1269

American Journal of Epidemiology 2007 166(11):1270-1279

Dr. Mercola's Comments:

Dairy products have long been linked to prostate cancer, and the most popular theory as to why this may be is because calcium, in high levels, may impair the function of the enzyme that converts vitamin D to its active form 1,25 dihydroxyvitamin D.

So, over time, if you consume too much calcium, you could actually be depleting your body of cancer-fighting vitamin D.

The evidence that pasteurized dairy products contribute to prostate cancer is fairly substantial. For instance:

Worldwide, men seem far more likely to die of prostate cancer in countries where dairy consumption is high than in countries where it is low.

In a 10-year study of nearly 21,000 male doctors, those who consumed at least 2.5 servings of dairy food per day were 30 percent more likely to develop prostate cancer than doctors who consumed less than half a serving.

Aside from calcium, many commercial milk brands contain synthetic growth hormones such as rBGH. And milk that contains rBGH also has especially high levels of Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-1).

IGF-1 acts as an important mediator between growth hormone and growth throughout fetal and childhood development. However, in adulthood too much IGF-1 increases your risk of cancer.

In fact, a study by Harvard researchers confirmed the link between IGF-1 levels in your blood and your risk of prostate cancer.

Men who had an IGF-1 level between approximately 300 and 500 ng/mL had more than four times the risk of developing prostate cancer than did men with a level between 100 and 185 ng/mL.

Where Are the Studies on RAW Milk?

If you are a follower of natural medicine you are probably wondering just what type of milk they analyzed in the study, as there is quite a remarkable difference between raw and pasteurized milk. I would be interested to see what effect whole, unpasteurized milk has on prostate cancer risk, and I suspect it would be a positive one.

This is because raw milk and pasteurized milk are two entirely different foods, with the former being the health-promoting variety.

A study last year by Dr. Loren Cordain cited 25 studies connecting increased rates of cancer to drinking pasteurized milk due to betacellulin -- the growth factor found in the whey fraction of milk. As it passes into the adult digestive tract intact, betacellulin comes in contact with receptors and the circulation that stimulates the growth of cancer cells throughout your body.

The factor that makes raw milk a healthier choice in terms of cancer protection is the presence of conjugated linoleic acid (CLA). CLA blunts the cancer-causing effect of betacellulin and has prevented cancer in lab tests too, particularly in conjunction with saturated fat.

Still, you need to drink raw milk according to your nutritional type. For some people raw milk is ideal, while others (namely protein nutritional types) will thrive from higher fat raw cream.

Natural Tips to Prevent Prostate Cancer

Fortunately for men, prostate cancer is a relatively slow-growing cancer that is easy to control if caught early enough, although prevention is always your best option.

Most conventional treatments for prostate cancer have been shown to not only be ineffective but are harmful.

What can you do to reduce your risk of this disease?

There are simple, basic approaches that will radically reduce your risk of this disease. These are the foundational basics and should be rigorously applied.

Getting regular sun exposure and optimizing your vitamin D levels
Increasing your intake of omega-3 oils, such as krill oil
Eating freshly ground flaxseeds and lycopene-rich foods like tomato sauce, and drinking high-quality green and black tea
Getting enough natural vitamin E
Exercising regularly

Additionally, after the above factors have been addressed it will be highly beneficial to identify contributing emotional conflicts. I am a strong believer in energy medicine, including the work of German New Medicine (GNM), developed by Dr. Ryke Geerd Hamer, M.D. It posits that every disease, including cancer, originates from an unexpected emotional shock.

According to Dr. Hamer, the emotional conflict that relates to your prostate is always a “half-genital conflict,” meaning the emphasis of the conflict is procreation- or gender-related and not exclusively sexual. On his Web site, Dr. Hamer gives the following examples of emotional traumas that could lead to the development of prostate cancer:

A daughter takes her father to court over an inheritance issue
A husband catches his wife/partner in bed with a lover
An older man is left by his younger wife/partner in favor of a younger man
Ugly facts come to light during a divorce

The more intense the conflict is, the faster the tumor grows. The longer the conflict lasts, the larger the tumor becomes. However, as soon as the emotional conflict is resolved, everything reverses and the cancer will heal itself.

So please adopt a tool, such as the Emotional Freedom Technique (EFT), to release your emotional challenges on a regular basis. For an example of this see the EFT Press Release titled “Unique Acupressure Technique is Credited with Relieving Prostate Cancer Symptoms.”