September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month, and a survey suggests that many men remain unaware of a potential dietary risk factor. Just 20% of respondents knew that consuming milk and other dairy products can increase the risk of prostate cancer. Once told about the increased risk, 66% said they would be likely to avoid dairy products.

The survey was conducted by Morning Consult for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and included 1,102 U.S. men. It also found that only 20% had received information from a healthcare professional about the relationship between nutrition and prostate cancer risk.

“Physicians and other healthcare professionals need more education on the dangers of dairy products and the benefits of a plant-based diet for prostate cancer,” says Noah Praamsma, MS, RDN, a dietitian and nutrition education coordinator with the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

Research Links Dairy to Prostate Cancer Risk

Previous research has associated higher consumption of dairy products, including milk and cheese, with an increased risk of prostate cancer. A meta-analysis that included 32 studies found evidence of an elevated risk among people consuming larger amounts of dairy.

One study found that people who consumed at least one serving of skim or low-fat milk each day had a 19% increased risk of prostate cancer compared with those who rarely drank it.

Another study tracked 3,612 men for 8-10 years. Men with the highest consumption of low-fat dairy (about 3 servings per day) were more than twice as likely to develop prostate cancer as those consuming the least dairy (less than 1 serving per day).

Dairy intake may also be associated with the risk of dying from prostate cancer. A meta-analysis of 11 studies involving more than 700,000 participants examined dairy consumption and cancer mortality. Among the men studied, those who consumed the most whole milk had a risk of death from prostate cancer by as much as 50% higher than those who consumed the least amount.

Awareness of these findings appears to influence attitudes toward food labeling. Among the men surveyed, 76% supported requiring warning labels on dairy products to inform consumers about prostate cancer risk.

Plant-Based Diets Show Potential Benefits

“The good news is that most men surveyed knew that consuming fruits, vegetables, grains, and beans can help protect them against prostate cancer,” adds Praamsma, “and research shows that consuming a 100% plant-based diet is the most beneficial.”

Research has also linked diets rich in plant foods with a lower risk of prostate cancer. The Adventist Health Study-2 found that men following a vegan diet had a 35% lower prostate cancer risk compared with men following a nonvegetarian, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian, or semi-vegetarian diet.

Plant-focused eating patterns may also be beneficial after a prostate cancer diagnosis. In a study involving more than 2,000 men with prostate cancer, those who consumed the most plant-based foods had a 56% lower risk of prostate cancer progression and a 59% lower risk of prostate cancer recurrence compared with participants who consumed the fewest plant foods.

Prostate Cancer Remains a Major Health Threat

Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society’s 2024 annual report, and it is also the second most common cause of cancer death among men.

The American Cancer Society estimates that 333,830 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2026 and that 36,320 people will die from the disease.

Founded in 1985, the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is a nonprofit organization that promotes preventive medicine, conducts clinical research, and encourages higher standards for ethics and effectiveness in education and research.

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Materials provided by Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine. 

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