Do you love drinking a big glass of cold milk everyday? If so, and if you are male, then your favorite glass of ice-cold milk may be doing you more harm than good!
Before I go any further, let me make it clear that I’m NOT referring to raw, organic milk from grass-fed cows. The truth is that raw milk is loaded with “goodies” that boost our natural immune systems, give us many essential enzymes, vitamins and minerals that keep our digestive system and bodies working at optimum levels of health. Raw milk is literally a “super food.”
In this article, I am referring to pasteurized, homogenized, non-organic milk which is an enzyme-less, nutrition-less food, incapable of rebuilding or maintaining bones or teeth because it is not a good source of calcium (since the enzyme phosphatase, which is required to absorb calcium, is destroyed during the pasteurization process).
But let’s get back to the subject of milk and prostate cancer, shall we?
Since the 1970s, medical journals worldwide have published studies that correlate milk with an increased risk of prostate cancer. Of these studies, one in particular from Italy found that male patients who frequently consume milk and other dairy products actually have a two and a half times greater chance of developing prostate cancer than the general male population.
Prostate Cancer Facts
Prostate cancer is one of the most common cancers that affect the male population globally. It is 
estimated that nearly 400,000 cases of prostate cancer are diagnosed yearly, which accounts for approximately 4% of all new cancer cases.
Prostate cancer develops in the cells of the prostate gland and is most commonly classified as an adenocarcinoma. However, other cancers may affect the prostate gland, including:
- Sarcomas
- Small cell carcinomas
- Transitional cell carcinomas
- Neuroendocrine tumors
These latter types of cancer are very rare. Patient’s diagnosed with a prostate adenocarcinoma need to know that beating this type of cancer depends on the overall health of the patient and whether the cells are aggressively dividing and spreading quickly or more slowly.
Some male patients were diagnosed with prostate cancer during an autopsy after their death from other causes. These men may never have experienced any symptoms of the disease.
Aggressive prostate cancers exhibit a variety of symptoms including:
- Frequent urination
- Difficulty holding urine or starting urination
- Weak urine flow
- Painful or burning urination
- Blood in the urine or semen
- Frequent pain in the lower back, hips, or upper thighs.
Men who experience any of these symptoms need to consult with their doctor. They may be experiencing early stages of prostate cancer. It is possible that they may have a benign medical condition with their prostate such as benign prostatic hyperplasia. The latter condition can cause many of these symptoms and does not develop into prostate cancer.
Prostate Cancer and Dietary Factors
Since the 1970s, medical researchers and doctors have focused on whether there was a correlation between prostate cancer and milk consumption.
Epidemiological studies have concluded that dietary factors could play a significant role in prostate cancer development and progression. But why would dairy products cause cancer? In order to answer that question, we’ll need to take a trip down “memory lane” to 1994.
Cows on Steroids
In 1994, Monsanto and the FDA introduced rBGH (recombinant bovine growth hormone) into the market. This is a powerful genetically engineered drug which, when injected into dairy cows, will force them to produce up to 25% more milk. However, when a cow is injected with rBGH, its milk production is indirectly stimulated. The presence of rBGH in the cow’s blood triggers the production of another hormone, insulin-like growth factor 1 (IGF-I) that stimulates milk production.
IGF-I is a naturally occurring hormone-protein in both cows and humans. Numerous studies have shown that the IGF-I in cows is chemically identical to the IGF-I in humans. The use of rBGH increases the levels of IGF-I in the cow’s milk, and the IGF-I is not destroyed by pasteurization. Since milk is a hormonal delivery system, a significant dose of IGF-I is released in a bioactive form directly to the body’s cells (it causes cells to divide), and promotes rapid cell proliferation which can cause prostate cancer to form. IGF-I has been listed as a key factor in cancer proliferation.
If you’re drinking milk from your local supermarket that’s not organic, then it’s almost certain you’re ingesting rBGH laden milk.
Another Study
Scientists at the European Institute of Oncology, Milan, and the Université de Montréal, compared 197 prostate cancer patients with an equal number of men who did not have prostate cancer. There turned out to be a 200% plus increase in the risk of prostate cancer associated with an increased intake of dairy products. At the same time, there was a significant trend toward decreased prostate cancer risk associated in those who reported a higher than average intake of legumes, nuts, fish, shellfish, and vitamin E (alpha tocopherol).
Missing from the study were the issues of grass vs. grain fed cattle, rBGH, and the problem of pesticide or hormone contamination of milk.
Whether you are male or female, the bottom line is to stay away from pasteurized, homogenized non-organic milk, which is a worthless food (at best) and might even cause cancer!
Hello! I have a friend in Colombia whos only child is suffering from Ewing Sarcoma, she has had 3 surgeries already. I need to help my friend (Lucia) her daughters name is Camila. How can we help her??
Hi Lucero, The best advice we can give you is to consult with one of the doctors that we interviewed in our Global Quest Series: https://thetruthaboutcancer.com/experts-info-sheet/
For some reason this page isn’t loading properly so this seems to be thebest place for me to leave my comment:
Please clarify that this applies to milk in the US but Canadianmilk has very different standards. Canadian milk has among the highest standards of all and cows are raised on about 90% forage, only medicated when sick and there are incredibly strict withdrawal times and each tank is tested so none of that medication every enters the supply chain.Also, rbgh is banned in Canada. So Canadian milk is grass-fed, antibiotic free and hormone free. Last but not least, Canada does NOT use high heat pasturization. Because of the low somatic cell and bacteria limits, there isn’t a need. So many of the beneficial properties and vitamins of milk you would get with raw grassfed milk in the States, are on the shelves at the grocery stores in Canada.
I would question your assumption that Canadian milk is as good as grassfed. I believe that Maize Silage is the main feed ingredient, which is probably balanced with Soy Bean to correct it’s low protein content. Even worse, much of this Soy is contaminated with Monsanto GMOs and Glyphosate. The cows will have limited access to grass, (their natural food), due to the long winter , and I believe that limited rainfall in many areas restricts grass growth.
I do agree however that standards are far higher than in the USA. Unfortunately, there have been recent reports of the Canadian Agriculture Department seriously harassing farmers selling raw milk.
Thank you for the article about prostate cancer. Please, let’s have more of them. There seems to be considerably more focus on breast cancer than prostate cancer on this site, which is unfortunate, as prostate cancer is the comparable cancer killer of men
Rob,
I had a PSA count well over 100, and was to have an immediate operation. My wife had just read a book by an English research doctor titled “Your Life is in Your Hands,” who had cleared herself of breast cancer that was declared terminal after years of treatments and struggles with diets that were considered healthy. She cut all dairy (cows milk) from her diet. She was most concerned re. the lactose. I decided to first give this a try. I went through the frig. put aside all butter, cheese, milk, etc., and studied every label on every product from then on. The bakery was the enemy. It worked. Down came the PSA count, 100, 175, 150, etc., and back to normal for my age. I lost excessive weight, ate as much as I liked of all the good stuff (meat, vegies, etc.), and awoke each morning feeling great. Doctors just said every one is different and I was lucky. That was over ten years ago; I am now 79, remain fit and well, and every thing is still working.
Milk from a cow (even organic) is NOT a superfood. Cowmilk (as well as ancient goat milk) is formulated for an entirely unique DNA structure- strictly exclusive to ONLY the offspring’s initial stage of life
Do we want our DNA, our immune systems to be exposed to a natural growth formula designed for a calf???
Our feed mix is pretty even between haylage, and dry hay versus corn silage, both are excellent feed for cattle providing a balanced diet. Claiming that the soybean added is unsafe because it is GMO is a whole different discussion..
Dairy in Canada is antibiotic free and growth hormone free — we get fined and our milk is dumped if the tests are positive. The reports of dairy farmers being reprimanded for selling raw milk is due to the fact that dairy is a controlled market and raw milk can be unsafe. Because dairy is controlled we are not allowed to sell raw milk on our own, and raw milk and unpasteurized milk (although glorious in my opinion) has caused sickness in the past due to bacteria that some people aren’t used to.
That’s nice topic though I do experience those conditions mentioned above about prostate cancer.