News - Minerals - Calcium

• High Calcium Intake Linked to Increased Prostate Cancer Risk.

High Calcium Intake Linked to Increased Prostate Cancer Risk.
NEW YORK (Reuters Health) June 5, 2007

Results of a study published in the June issue of the International Journal of Cancer indicate an association between calcium intake and risk of prostate cancer.

"Increased calcium and dairy product consumption has been suggested to enhance risk of prostate cancer, with possible biological mechanisms including the propensity of high calcium intake to decrease serum levels of vitamin D, and the potential for dairy products to increase serum levels of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I)," write Dr. Panagiota N. Mitrou, of the National Cancer Institute, Rockville, Maryland, and colleagues.

Comment - In my opinion, this study may have failed to take into account high estrogen levels associated with dairy products - perhaps skewing the results.  Still, an intake of 2000 mg/day or more of calcium (where the association was strongest) is quite high.  

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