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Dairy Products and Cancer Risk in a Northern Sweden Population
Lena M Nilsson1, Anna Winkvist2, Anders Esberg3
1Department of Public Health and Clinical Medicine, Umeå University, Umeå, Sweden.
Nutrition and Cancer
|July 13, 2019
Summary
This study found no significant overall cancer risk associated with dairy product consumption. While cheese intake showed a slight increase in prostate cancer risk for men, it was linked to decreased risks for overall, smoking-related, and colorectal cancers in women.
Area of Science:
- Epidemiology
- Nutritional Science
- Oncology
Background:
- The relationship between dairy product consumption and cancer risk remains a subject of ongoing research and public health interest.
- Previous studies have yielded conflicting results regarding the potential benefits or harms of dairy intake on various cancer types.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the association between the consumption of fermented milk, non-fermented milk, cheese, and butter and the prospective risk of developing breast, prostate, colorectal, smoking-related, and obesity-related cancers.
- To analyze these associations in a large, population-based cohort.
Main Methods:
- A prospective cohort study was conducted using data from the Northern Sweden Health and Disease Study, including 101,235 participants.
- Dietary intake, specifically of dairy products, was assessed using semi-quantitative food frequency questionnaires.
- Statistical analyses, including hazard ratios (HR) and trend tests, were performed to evaluate cancer risk in relation to dairy consumption quintiles.
Main Results:
- Most dairy product consumption showed no significant association with cancer risk across various types.
- In men, high cheese consumption was associated with a slightly increased risk of prostate cancer (HR 1.11).
- In women, high cheese consumption was linked to decreased risks of overall cancer (HR 0.95), smoking-related cancers (HR 0.84), and colorectal cancer (HR 0.82). Butter consumption showed a weak association with decreased obesity-related cancer risk in women (HR 0.91).
Conclusions:
- The study does not provide strong evidence to support major adverse or beneficial effects of consuming fermented milk, non-fermented milk, cheese, or butter on overall cancer risk.
- Specific associations, such as increased prostate cancer risk with cheese in men and decreased risks in women, warrant further investigation but do not indicate a definitive role for these dairy products in cancer etiology.
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