Dairy products 'may prevent uterine cancer'

Each year, over 7,000 UK women are diagnosed with uterine cancer, a condition which kills almost 1,800 people, but experts in the US believe they may have discovered a way to reduce mortality rates.

Boston University School of Medicine (BUSM) researchers at the Slone Epidemiology Center claim that black women who have a high intake of dairy products may have a reduced chance of developing the disease.

According to the expert, dairy foods decrease occurrences of uterine leiomyomata, or fibroids, which are benign tumours in the womb.

Lead author Lauren Wise, an associate professor of epidemiology at Boston University School of Public Health and a senior epidemiologist at the Slone Epidemiology Center, told cancer cover holders that the study may have positive consequences for women across the world.

"Although the exact mechanisms are unclear, a protective effect of dairy consumption on uterine fibroids risk is plausible, as calcium, a major component of dairy foods, may reduce cell proliferation," she explained.

The study was based on data from the Black Women's Health Study, which had 59,000 study participants who completed biennial questionnaires on whether they were diagnosed with fibroids, while their diet was assessed on two occasions.

Based on 5,871 incident cases of fibroids diagnosed after ten years of follow-up, the study found that high dairy intake reduced fibroid incidence by 30 per cent among women who had four or more dairy servings a day, compared with those who had no servings per day.

Professor Wise told cancer insurance customers: "This is the first report showing an inverse association between dairy intake and fibroid risk. If confirmed, a modifiable risk factor for fibroids, a major source of gynecologic morbidity, will have been identified."

Posted by James McCann

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