September is Prostate Cancer Awareness Month and a new survey suggests many men are unaware of a possible dietary risk factor. Only 20% of respondents knew that consuming milk and other dairy products can increase the risk of prostate cancer. Once informed of the increased risk, 66% said they would probably avoid dairy products.
He survey was conducted by Morning Consult for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine and included 1,102 American men. It also found that only 20% had received information from a health professional about the relationship between nutrition and prostate cancer risk.
“Doctors and other health professionals need more education about the dangers of dairy products and the benefits of a plant-based diet for prostate cancer,” says Noah Praamsma, MS, RDN, dietitian and nutrition education coordinator for 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 who consume large amounts of dairy.
One study found that people who consumed at least one serving of skim or low-fat milk each day had 19% increased risk of prostate cancer compared to those who rarely drank it.
Another study followed 3,612 men for 8 to 10 years. Men with higher consumption of low-fat dairy products (about 3 servings per day) were more than twice as likely to develop prostate cancer such as those who consume less 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 with 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 up to 50% greater than those who consumed the least amount.
Knowledge of these findings appears to influence attitudes toward food labeling. Among men surveyed, 76% supported requiring warning labels on dairy products to inform consumers about the risk of prostate cancer.
Plant-Based Diets Show Potential Benefits
“The good news is that the majority of men surveyed knew that eating fruits, vegetables, grains and beans can help protect against prostate cancer,” adds Praamsma, “and research shows that eating a 100% plant-based diet is the most beneficial.”
Research has also linked diets rich in plant foods to a lower risk of prostate cancer. The Adventist Health Study-2 found that men who followed A vegan diet had a 35% lower risk of prostate cancer. compared to men who follow a non-vegetarian, lacto-ovo-vegetarian, pesco-vegetarian or semi-vegetarian diet.
Plant-centered 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 to participants who ate the least amount of 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 2024 Annual Reportand it is also the second most common cause of cancer death among men.
American Cancer Society estimates that in 2026, 333,830 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States 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 of ethics and effectiveness in education and research.