MedWire News: Men who eat a lot of dairy foods may be increasing their risk of developing prostate cancer, study results suggest.

Dr Naomi Allen, from the University of Oxford in the UK, and colleagues explain: "It has been suggested that a high intake of animal protein might increase the incidence of prostate cancer by enhancing growth hormone activity."

To investigate further, the team assessed data on more than 142,000 men from eight European countries who participated in a long-term health study.

All the men completed questionnaires that detailed their intake of animal foods, including dairy products such as milk, yogurt and cheese.

Over an average monitoring period of nearly 9 years, 2727 of the participants developed prostate cancer.

The researchers found that men with the highest intake of dairy protein were around 1.2 times more likely to develop prostate cancer than those with the lowest intake.

After accounting for each participant's age, height, weight and total energy intake, further analysis revealed that for each 35 g increase in daily intake of dairy protein the risk of prostate cancer increased by 35%.

The team also found that calcium from dairy products, but not from other sources, was associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer.

Writing in the British Journal of Cancer, Dr Allen and team conclude: "The results support the hypothesis that a high intake of protein or calcium from dairy products may increase the risk for prostate cancer."