Adolescent Milk Intake Linked to Prostate Cancer Risk

REYKJAVIK, IcelandAdolescent men who drink milk daily may be three times more likely to develop advanced prostate cancer later in life compared to teens who do not drink milk daily, according to a new study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology.

Researchers at the University of Iceland investigated whether early-life residency in certain areas of Iceland marked by distinct differences in milk intake was associated with risk of prostate cancer in a population-based cohort of 8,894 men born between 1907 and 1935. Through linkage to cancer and mortality registers, the men were followed for prostate cancer diagnosis and mortality from study entry (in waves from 1967 to 1987) through 2009. In 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 near Reykjavik 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.