Dairy foods, calcium intakes, and risk of incident prostate cancer in Adventist Health Study-2

[pjoshea13]

Here we go again! New study below.

"Conclusions: Men with higher intake of dairy foods, but not nondairy calcium, had a higher risk of prostate cancer compared with men having lower intakes. Associations were nonlinear, suggesting greatest increases in risk at relatively low doses."

Studies available to me ~18 years ago associated dairy & calcium with worse outcome. Something like >1 pint of milk or 1,000 mg calcium seemed to me to be unwise. Then, over the years, the evidence weakened. Men returned to dairy.

So this study will be unwelcome to some.

But the "greatest increases in risk at relatively low doses" seems odd.

The study was quite large:

- "28,737 Seventh-day Adventist men in the United States and Canada"

- "1,254 (190 advanced) incident prostate cancer cases were found during an average 7.8 y of follow-up"

-Patrick

[1] pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/356...

Am J Clin Nutr

. 2022 Jun 8;nqac093. doi: 10.1093/ajcn/nqac093. Online ahead of print.

Dairy foods, calcium intakes, and risk of incident prostate cancer in Adventist Health Study-2

Michael J Orlich 1 2 , Andrew D Mashchak 3 , Karen Jaceldo-Siegl 1 3 , Jason T Utt 3 , Synnove F Knutsen 3 , Lars E Sveen 3 , Gary E Fraser 1 2 3 4

Affiliations collapse

Affiliations

1 Center for Nutrition, Healthy Lifestyle and Disease Prevention, School of Public Health, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA.

2 Department of Preventive Medicine, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA.

3 Adventist Health Study, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA.

4 Department of Medicine, School of Medicine, Loma Linda University, Loma Linda, CA, USA.

PMID: 35672028 DOI: 10.1093/ajcn/nqac093

Abstract

Background: Prostate cancer is the most common noncutaneous cancer in American males. Causal links between dairy, or dietary calcium, and this cancer are considered suggestive but limited.

Objectives: To evaluate these associations in a large North American cohort, including many with no (or very low) dairy intake and much calcium from nondairy sources.

Methods: A prospective cohort study of 28,737 Seventh-day Adventist men in the United States and Canada, of whom 6389 were of black ethnicity. Diet was measured by FFQ, and 275 male participants also provided repeated 24-h dietary recalls as a calibration substudy. Incident cancers were mainly found by matching with cancer registries. Analyses used multivariable proportional hazards regressions and regression calibration for some analyses.

Results: In total, 1254 (190 advanced) incident prostate cancer cases were found during an average 7.8 y of follow-up. Men at the 90th percentile of dairy intake (430 g/d) compared with the 10th percentile (20.2 g/d) had higher prostate cancer risk (HR: 1.27; 95% CI: 1.12, 1.43). Similar findings, comparing the same g/d intakes, were demonstrated for advanced prostate cancers (HR: 1.38; 95% CI: 1.02, 1.88), for nonadvanced cases (HR: 1.27; 95% CI: 1.11, 1.45), in black participants (HR: 1.24; 95% CI: 0.98, 1.58), and when excluding vegan participants (HR: 1.22; 95% CI: 1.03, 1.43). Calibrated dairy (g/d) regressions (all participants and all prostate cancers), adjusting for dietary measurement error, found a HR of 1.75 (95% CI: 1.32, 2.32). Comparing 90th percentile intake to zero intakes (uncalibrated), the HR was 1.62 (95% CI: 1.26, 2.05). There was no evidence of an effect of higher (905 mg/d) compared with lower (349 mg/d) intakes of nondairy calcium (HR: 1.16; 95% CI: 0.94, 1.44).

Conclusions: Men with higher intake of dairy foods, but not nondairy calcium, had a higher risk of prostate cancer compared with men having lower intakes. Associations were nonlinear, suggesting greatest increases in risk at relatively low doses.

Keywords: African American; Seventh-day Adventists; calcium intake; cohort study; dairy intake; prostate cancer; regression calibration; vegans; vegetarians.

© The Author(s) 2022. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the American Society for Nutrition.

[Garp41]

Aren't 7th Day Advenists vegan, which would skew the results?

Doug

[2b-lucky in reply to Garp41]

A PBS report from 2012 says about 30% of 7th Day Adventists are vegan. A church report in 2019 puts it at about 50%.

By avoiding cow's milk, you can end up jumping out of the frying pan into the fire if you drink almond milk that contains Carrageenan. It has been judged Generally Recognized As Safe by the FDA but the studies supporting that conclusion are slim. Researchers in Israel and elsewhere have raised the possibility that it may impair health, perhaps by causing intestinal inflammation or interfering with our ability to absorb nutrients. Check the label. There are other options that contain no Carrageenan. We buy almond "milk" at the local farmer's market that contains nothing but coconut water and crushed almonds. A luxury, but a healthy one. If you have the time, you can make your own:

Homemade Almond Milk

1 cup almonds (soaked overnight)

5 cups water

1 tsp pure vanilla extract

Pinch sea salt

Blend altogether and strain through a nut milk bag into a large mason jar.

[GeorgeGlass in reply to 2b-lucky]

A small amount of egg whites several times a week, would be low dose dairy, right? They don’t have choline but they do have leucine. Thoughts?

[pjoshea13 in reply to GeorgeGlass]

Well, I know that eggs are in the Dairy aisle of the supermarket, but I wouldn't call egg whites "dairy".

-Patrick

[2b-lucky in reply to GeorgeGlass]

I agree with Patrick, egg whites are not dairy. Egg whites contain no choline, so that’s a plus for us, and they’re high in protein, low in cholesterol and calories. But they contain far fewer vitamins and minerals than egg yolks. Besides hormones, another issue with eggs (including egg whites) is salmonella poisoning -- which I once caught, but not from eggs.

Leucine is not on my radar screen. I read that as an essential amino acid for protein synthesis, it has been promoted to help weightlifters’ muscles recover, but recent studies cast doubt on that. I usually eat fruit and steel cut oats for breakfast, but when I’m at a café, I may splurge. The best omelet I ever had (including whole egg omelets) was the fluffy egg white omelet at Heirloom Restaurant in New Haven, CT. Killer. To each his own.

[GeorgeGlass in reply to 2b-lucky]

That’s cool and new haven. I might try that when I’m in town there next year. I grew up in Fairfield county. My favorite omelet was south of the Arizona border. I think i liked it so much because of the goat cheese. Ironic since we’re talking about dairy. I haven’t heard anyone on this website say anything bad about egg whites but i wonder, due to the leucine. Here’s one of the pages I’ve read before: prostatecancerinfolink.net/...

[GeorgeGlass in reply to 2b-lucky]

What do you think of this? Organic Silk almond milk. Added calcium carbonate and more.

Normal

[2b-lucky in reply to GeorgeGlass]

I can’t advise you on the organic almond milk you posted. There are studies on pubmed pointing to preliminary evidence that additives in plant-based milks might impair digestion, long term. I’m guessing that, years from now, some of the plant-based “milks” that contain weird gums and the like will prove to be no healthier than low fat cow’s milk. (Whole milk from cows is another story.) We know that, overall, processed foods are often unhealthy. Why would highly processed plant-based “milks” be any different?

The almond milk from our local farmer’s market contains only two ingredients – fresh coconut water and almonds, freshly crushed and blended. We’ve shared it with several friends and every single one of them says that it tastes MUCH better than 2% low fat cow’s milk. That’s the main reason we keep buying it. It’s a treat.

[GeorgeGlass in reply to 2b-lucky]

I’ve just been short on time to make the almond milk but i should start doing it. I’ll use marcona almonds.

[GeorgeGlass in reply to 2b-lucky]

Holy moly! Read this; I’m going to have to share this as a separate post: markitonutrition.com/warnin....

[2b-lucky in reply to GeorgeGlass]

This website doesn't have much scientific rigor underneath it, but the basic conclusion seems valid to me. Most almond milk sold in supermarkets contains synthetic additives that are probably unhealthy.

[dhccpa in reply to Garp41]

I don't think all are. They eat the Kosher-type diet, but not vegan.

[timotur]

Well, I was a petri dish for PCa-- drinking milk by the gallon and eating eggs by the carton with high cholesterol to boot, even though I was active in sports and had a BMI of 22. I went from a PSA of 3.0 in 2010 to 29 in 2018 at age 64, not checking it in-between due to my GP following the US-Preventative Services-TF recommendations to not screen for PSA, which was a sham.

[GeorgeGlass in reply to timotur]

Upsetting to say the least. So many medical malpractice mistakes going on. Nobody doing after action reviews.

[Teufelshunde]

I know I am not the medical study guru but to me this conclusion makes no sense. "Conclusions: Men with higher intake of dairy foods, but not nondairy calcium, had a higher risk of prostate cancer compared with men having lower intakes. Associations were nonlinear, suggesting greatest increases in risk at relatively low doses.

The first part is logical. High dairy use is higher risk than low dairy use. But how does that square with "greatest increases in risk at relatively low doses"? Per prior sentence, low usage should be lower risk, not the greatest risk.

And this is pre PC I assume, so totally no use to us with PC, and those without PC are not looking at this crap. I guess someone needed another study to put on their resume.

[Hidden]

Why just Adventists?

[LearnAll]

This study is seems like those "fake" studies which used to conclude "cigarettes are good for health..prevents dementia" " Cigarettes do not cause lung cancer" and so on.I would like to know if this study was funded by non dairy creamer companies or some other vested interest.

I trust that huge 50,000 men Epidemiological study which came out 2or3 years ago with conclusion that Milk does not cause increase in incidence of Prostate cancer. There is a past thread by TA about this with title "cow juice is OK." You can search it.

I eat fat free yogurt every morning made from Cow's Milk and ain't going to stop because of this questionable study. BTW, In my Yogurt, I put a pinch of each..Thyme, Rosemary, Oragano, Holy basil and sage. These herbs contain Quercetin ,Apigenin and Ursolic acid plus other substances which inhibit EMT (Epethilial mesechymal transition) ...a phenomenon which induces metastasis and accelerates mets growth.

[LearnAll in reply to LearnAll]

I would like to add 2 more thoughts about this study:(1) It claims that men who eat small amount of dairy has higher risk of PCa than men who ingest large amount of dairy. What can be more illogical than this. It is like saying if you eat a tiny amount of poison it is more likely to cause death .. than if you eat large amount of poison.

(2) The only possible explanation can be men who drink gallon of WHOLE fat Milk daily or eat big blocks of Cheese are taking in a large amount of saturated fats. And we all know that most preferred food for Prostate Cancer is saturated fat. (its not Sugar..Virginia.).

[Currumpaw in reply to LearnAll]

LearnAll,

The Seventh Day Adventists are "Blue Zone" people. One of my grandmothers was a SDA. She was by no means a vegan although she never ate large amounts of animal products. She planted, tended and harvested a humongous garden which she and her garden were once featured in the local newspaper.

She did not eat any foods from pigs or shellfish of any type,

The SDA church was founded by a woman named Ellen G. White. At the time the church was founded there was much interest in the country about diet and health. Kellog's cereals were made by a member of the church and of course Loma Linda University Medical Center which is highly respected for it's work. It is on the net.

Not everything works for everyone and that includes the very best conventional. I have a friend who has been a vegan for years. He is a member of a vegan group that chooses a restaurant to meet at for a vegan meal once a month. Several of the members of this vegan group had been told by their doctors that they should get their affairs in order. They chose to become vegans and are healthy years after their predicted demise.

The Blue Zone people lead a very low stress life and live among those with similar beliefs. The mind can feed the body and a constant, negative influence harping continuously can affect one's health--which is well documented.

When Dr. Ruth Heidrich was diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer and had a double mastectomy, she chose to become a vegan rather than have chemo and radiation fort the metastases on her ribs. Her husband at the time was so dismissive and negative about her decision that she knew she could not succeed with the constant, disparaging environment that living with him was. She divorced him and followed her vegan lifestyle. In a year the metastases on her ribs had disappeared. About 40 years later she completed an Iron Man competition in her 80's!

Currumpaw

[GeorgeGlass in reply to Currumpaw]

Very good comments, as long as we supplement appropriately and add a little fish and maybe a piece of meat from time to time. Ive read And watched this info too. The Adventists vegetarians are frail but they live longer than the ones that eat meat, but the meat eaters are stronger and can participate in more physical activities, so everyone has to decide what their highest priorities are.

[Currumpaw in reply to GeorgeGlass]

Thank you GeorgeGlass.

Currumpaw

[CAMPSOUPS]

Hard to believe sometimes that this is a forum for stage 4 guys.Palliative approach seems to often be missing.

I'm glad my MO isn't some of the posters. What a way that would be to spend my last few years on earth.

[GeorgeGlass in reply to CAMPSOUPS]

Having advanced prostate cancer does not mean that men are stage 4. Advanced prostate cancer is not categorized that way. That’s why many men on here, have been living with advanced prostate cancer for several decades. They are not stage 4 terminal. Many men live for decades because they talk about, learn, and practice lifestyle changes that improve quality of life, and frequently, increase their life spans. Most guys are not focusing on palliative care until their cancer and health get to a terminal state.

[CAMPSOUPS in reply to GeorgeGlass]

Obviously!

[Gearhead]

But what about men who already have prostate cancer?

[Currumpaw]

Nalakrats,

Dr. Ruth Heidrich has done well as a strict vegan. Her bone density increased as she aged. Copy the entire script between the lines and enter it into your search bar.

_____________________________________________________________________

Off the Block: Ruth Heidrich Defeats Cancer and …

swimoregon.org/off-the-bloc......

_____________________________________________________________________

Currumpaw

[j-o-h-n]

It's neat to eat.

Good Luck, Good Health and Good Humor.

j-o-h-n Thursday 06/09/2022 6:28 PM DST