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Milk Intake in Early Life and Later Cancer Risk: A Meta-Analysis

Authors :
Hyeonmin Gil
Qiao-Yi Chen
Jaewon Khil
Jihyun Park
Gyumi Na
Donghoon Lee
Nana Keum
Source :
Nutrients. 14:1233
Publication Year :
2022
Publisher :
MDPI AG, 2022.

Abstract

Dairy consumption in adulthood has been demonstrated to influence cancer risk. Although childhood and adolescence represent critical periods of rapid growth, the relationship between milk intake in early life and later cancer risk is unclear. Thus, we examined this relationship by conducting a meta-analysis of the observational studies. PubMed and Embase were searched for relevant articles that were published throughout December 2021. The summary relative risk (RR) and 95% confidence interval (CI) were estimated using the DerSimonian-Laird random-effects model. The summary RR for the highest vs. lowest milk intake was 0.83 (95% CI = 0.69–1.00; p = 0.05; I2 = 60%; seven studies) for breast cancer, 0.98 (95% CI = 0.72–1.32; p = 0.88; I2 = 51%; four studies) for prostate cancer, and 0.90 (95% CI = 0.42–1.93; p = 0.78; I2 = 83%; three studies) for colorectal cancer. No evidence of an association emerged in subgroup analyses of menopausal status, cancer stage, fat content of milk, life stage of milk intake, or study design. Consistent results were observed in the meta-analyses using total dairy intake. In conclusion, milk intake during childhood and adolescence might not be associated with risks of breast, prostate, and colorectal cancer later in life. Given the small number of studies that were included in our meta-analysis, and the high heterogeneity, more studies are warranted for a definitive conclusion.

Details

ISSN :
20726643
Volume :
14
Database :
OpenAIRE
Journal :
Nutrients
Accession number :
edsair.doi.dedup.....87cdaa3372fbfaa3d83d8d49066503fe
Full Text :
https://doi.org/10.3390/nu14061233