Middle age is a critical period when calcium begins to be lost and osteoporosis sets in, making calcium supplementation an essential part of health. As an excellent source of calcium, milk is a staple on the dining table. However, for patients with prostate diseases, excessive milk consumption for calcium supplementation might increase the risk of developing these conditions.
A recent study from Harvard Medical School in the United States showed that men who consume dairy products have a higher risk of prostate cancer compared to men of the same age who do not consume them frequently.
The study followed 21,000 men for 11 years and found that men who consumed more than 600mg of calcium from dairy products daily (equivalent to about 600ml of milk) had a 32% higher risk of prostate cancer compared to those who consumed less than 150mg daily.
In response, Jia Jinming, Chief Physician of the Urology Department at Guang'anmen Hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, explained that the intake of calcium alone does not adversely affect the prostate. However, the calcium in the study was sourced from milk, so the factor of milk itself cannot be ignored.
Milk contains animal protein, which is rich in androgens. These can promote prostate hyperplasia, worsening the symptoms of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and accelerating the progression of prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia to clinical prostate cancer.
Furthermore, animal protein is an acidic food that can increase the burden on the kidneys. It also generates a large number of oxygen free radicals in the body, promoting aging of the prostate.
>Doctor Jia advises that patients with prostate diseases, especially those with BPH and prostate cancer, should avoid high-protein, high-fat, and high-calorie foods even when calcium supplementation is necessary. This is because such foods not only contain a significant amount of animal protein, which加重 the burden on the prostate, but are also likely to trigger "affluence diseases" like diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and hypertension, all of which are detrimental to prostate health. Surveys indicate that the incidence of prostate diseases is significantly higher among populations with a higher standard of living, and the higher a country's standard of living, the higher its incidence rate of prostate diseases.Therefore, for patients with prostate diseases, it is necessary to manage diet carefully to protect prostate health. This includes eating less meat and more low-fat foods, vegetables, fruits, and legumes. Legumes are particularly beneficial as they are rich in calcium and contain phytoestrogens, which can relatively weaken the effects of androgens. For prostate patients, this can be described as a "double-edged sword" (or more accurately, a "two-for-one" solution).