Two recent studies have found evidence that high intakes of milk are linked to increased risk of prostate and ovarian cancer.

Ovarian Cancer

Data was combined from 180,000 people in 3 large studies by Swedish scientists.  The data showed that people who drank the most milk had significantly higher rates of ovarian cancer than those who drank small amounts of milk.  Two of the studies found that the risk of ovarian cancer increased by 13% for every glass of milk consumed per day.  Although the researchers concluded that a high intake of milk may increase the risk of ovarian cancer, further study is needed.

Prostate Cancer

Researchers combined data from 10 different cohort studies that ranged from 3,600 to 65,000 men to study the effects of milk and dairy intake and the risk of prostate cancer.  Results showed that men who consumed the current USDA recommendation of 3 servings per day were 9% more likely to develop prostate cancer than those only consuming 2 servings per day.  Based on these findings, the researchers suggest that men should wait for more research before following the 3 servings per day dairy guidelines.  In fact, many dieticians now recommend a lower intake of 1-2 servings of dairy per day, with soymilk being a healthy alternative. 

Source: American Institute of Cancer Research (AICR) ScienceNow, Spring 2006.