Genetic variation in the lactase gene, dairy product intake and risk for prostate cancer in the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Effects of low-fat or full-fat fermented and non-fermented dairy foods on selected cardiovascular biomarkers in overweight adults. Animal foods, protein, calcium and prostate cancer risk: the European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition Dietary fat and not calcium supplementation or dairy product consumption is associated with changes in anthropometrics during a randomized, placebo-controlled energy-restriction trial Dairy Products and Prevention of Type 2 Diabetes: Implications for Research and Practice A diet high in low-fat dairy products lowers diabetes risk in postmenopausal women. Nutrition influences skeletal development from childhood to adulthood: a study of hip, spine, and forearm in adolescent females.
High dairy protein intake has been found to be associated with increased  prostate cancer  risk in the European Prospect i ve Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition ( EPIC ) . To further examine this possible relationship , we investigated the hypothesis that a genetic polymorphism in the lactase ( LCT ) gene might be associated with elevated dairy product intake and increased prostate cancer risk in a case – control study nested in EPIC . The C/T-13910 lactase variant ( rs4988235 ) was genotyped in 630 men with prostate cancer and 873 matched control participants .  Dairy product consumption was assessed by diet question naire .  Odds ratios ( ORs ) for prostate cancer in relation to lactase genotype were estimated by conditional logistic regression . Lactase genotype frequency varied significantly between countries , with frequencies of the T ( lactase persistence ) allele ranging from 7 % in Greece to 79 % in Denmark . Intake of milk and total dairy products varied significantly by lactase genotype after adjustment for recruitment center ; adjusted mean intakes of milk were 44.4 , 69.8 and 82.3 g/day among men with CC , CT and TT genotypes , respectively . The lactase variant was not significantly associated with prostate cancer risk , both in our data ( adjusted OR for TT vs. CC homozygotes : 1.10 , 95 % CI : 0.76–1.59 ) and in a meta- analysis of all the published data ( combined OR for T allele carriers vs. CC homozygotes : 1.12 , 0.96–1.32 ) . These findings show that while variation in the lactase gene is associated with milk intake in men , the lactase polymorphism does not have a large effect on prostate cancer risk . What 's new ? High dairy protein intake has previously been found to be associated with increased prostate cancer risk in the European Prospect i ve Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition ( EPIC ) . The current study was nested in EPIC , and results from this first Europe-wide study suggest that while the C/T13910 lactase polymorphism is associated with milk intake , the variant has no large effect on prostate cancer risk . The data illustrate the challenges of applying mendelian r and omisation to explore the relationship between dairy product consumption and cancer risk . Very large studies with both genetic and dietary data are thus needed for investigations using genetic proxies of nutritional exposures The association between consumption of full-fat dairy foods and CVD may depend partly on the nature of products and may not apply to low-fat dairy foods . Increased circulating levels of inflammatory biomarkers after consumption of dairy product-rich meals suggest an association with CVD . In the present study , we tested the effects of low-fat and full-fat dairy diets on biomarkers associated with inflammation , oxidative stress or atherogenesis and on plasma lipid classes . Within full-fat dairy diets , we also compared fermented v. non-fermented products . In a r and omised cross-over study , twelve overweight/obese subjects consumed during two 3-week periods two full-fat dairy diets containing either yogurt plus cheese ( fermented ) or butter , cream and ice cream ( non-fermented ) or a low-fat milk plus yogurt diet , with the latter being consumed between and at the end of the full-fat dairy dietary periods . The concentrations of six inflammatory and two atherogenic biomarkers known to be raised in CVD were measured as well as those of plasma F2-isoprostanes and lipid classes . The concentrations of six of the eight biomarkers tended to be higher on consumption of the low-fat dairy diet than on that of the fermented dairy diet and the concentrations of two plasmalogen lipid classes reported to be associated with increased oxidisability were also higher on consumption of the low-fat dairy diet than on that of the fermented dairy diet ( P < 0.001 ) , although plasma F2-isoprostane concentrations did not differ on consumption of any of the diets . On the other h and , the concentrations of plasma sphingomyelin and IL-6 were significantly higher on consumption of the non-fermented dairy diet than on that of the low-fat dairy diet ( P < 0.02 ) . In conclusion , short-term diets containing low-fat dairy products did not lead to a more favourable biomarker profile associated with CVD risk compared with the full-fat dairy products , suggesting that full-fat fermented dairy products may be the more favourable We examined consumption of animal foods , protein and calcium in relation to  risk of prostate cancer among 142 251 men in the European Prospect i ve Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition . Associations were examined using Cox regression , stratified by recruitment centre and adjusted for height , weight , education , marital status and energy intake . After an average of 8.7 years of follow-up , there were 2727 incident cases of prostate cancer , of which 1131 were known to be localised and 541 advanced-stage disease . A high intake of dairy protein  was associated with an increased risk , with a hazard ratio for the top versus the bottom fifth of intake of 1.22 ( 95 % confidence interval ( CI ) : 1.07–1.41 , Ptrend=0.02 ) . After calibration to allow for measurement error , we estimated that a 35-g day−1 increase in consumption  of dairy protein  was associated with an increase in the risk of prostate cancer of 32 % ( 95 % CI : 1–72 % , Ptrend=0.04  ) .  Calcium from dairy products was also positively associated with risk , but not calcium from other foods . The results support the hypothesis that a high intake of protein or calcium from dairy products may increase the risk for prostate cancer Insufficient calcium intake has been proposed to cause unbalanced energy partitioning leading to obesity . However , weight loss interventions including dietary calcium or dairy product consumption have not reported changes in lipid metabolism measured by the plasma lipidome . Methods The objective of this study was to determine the relationships between dairy product or supplemental calcium intake with changes in the plasma lipidome and body composition during energy restriction . A secondary objective of this study was to explore the relationships among calculated macronutrient composition of the energy restricted diet to changes in the plasma lipidome , and body composition during energy restriction . Overweight adults ( n = 61 ) were r and omized into one of three intervention groups including a deficit of 500kcal/d : 1 ) placebo ; 2 ) 900 mg/d calcium supplement ; and 3 ) 3 - 4 servings of dairy products/d plus a placebo supplement .  Plasma fatty acid methyl esters of cholesterol ester , diacylglycerol , free fatty acids , lysophosphatidylcholine , phosphatidylcholine , phosphatidylethanolamine and triacylglycerol were quantified by capillary gas chromatography . Results After adjustments for energy and protein ( g/d ) intake , there was no significant effect of treatment on changes in weight , waist circumference or body composition . Plasma lipidome did not differ among dietary treatment groups . Stepwise regression identified correlations between reported intake of monounsaturated fat ( % of energy ) and changes in % lean mass ( r = -0.44 , P < 0.01 ) and % body fat ( r = 0.48 , P < 0.001 ) . Polyunsaturated fat intake was associated with the % change in waist circumference ( r = 0.44 , P < 0.01 ) . Dietary saturated fat was not associated with any changes in anthropometrics or the plasma lipidome . Conclusions Dairy product consumption or calcium supplementation during energy restriction over the course of 12 weeks did not affect plasma lipids . Independent of calcium and dairy product consumption , short-term energy restriction altered body composition . Reported dietary fat composition of energy restricted diets was associated with the degree of change in body composition in these overweight and obese individuals A growing body of scientific evidence has linked dairy intake to a reduced  type 2 diabetes ( T2D ) risk . Using an evidence -based approach , we review ed the most recent and strongest evidence on the relationship between dairy intake and the risk of T2D . Evidence indicates that dairy intake is significantly associated with a reduced T2D risk , and likely in a dose-response manner . The association between low-fat dairy and T2D risk reduction appears consistent . A beneficial impact is suggested for regular-fat dairy . The role of specific dairy products needs to be clarified . Potential underlying mechanisms include the role of dairy products in obesity and metabolic syndrome , as well as several dairy components , such as calcium , vitamin D , dairy fat , and specifically trans-palmitoleic acid . To conclude , there is strong , consistent , and accumulating evidence that dairy intake reduces the risk of T2D . More research is needed to better underst and the role of regular-fat and specific dairy products . Well- design ed r and omized controlled trials and mechanistic studies are needed to support these findings . Efforts to translate this evidence into clinical practice and public health guidance are needed Some previous studies have suggested that consuming dairy products , particularly the low-fat variety , lowers the incidence of type 2 diabetes . However , no study to our knowledge has focused on an ethnically diverse group of postmenopausal women , a population with a high risk of this disease . We conducted a prospect i ve cohort study of 82,076 postmenopausal women enrolled in the Women 's Health Initiative Observational Study who did not report diabetes at enrollment .  Total , low-fat , and high-fat dairy product and yogurt intakes were estimated from FFQ at baseline and 3 y of follow-up . Treated diabetes incidence was ascertained from annual follow-up question naires . During 8 y of follow-up , 3946 cases of incident treated diabetes were reported ( annual incidence , 0.73 % ; cumulative incidence , 4.8 % ) . After multivariable adjustment , low-fat dairy product consumption was inversely associated with the risk of type 2 diabetes . RR was roughly 0.5 - 0.6 in the upper quintiles compared with the lowest quintile ( median servings/d , 2.8 in the 5th quintile and 1.5 in the 4th quintile vs. 0.05 in the first quintile ; P-trend < 0.001 ) . The inverse relationship was more pronounced in women with a higher BMI . High yogurt consumption was associated with a significant decrease in diabetes risk , whereas there was no relationship between high-fat dairy product consumption and diabetes risk . A diet high in low-fat dairy products is associated with lower diabetes risk in postmenopausal women , particularly those who are obese This study evaluated the long-term efficacy of supplemental calcium and dairy products on bone mineral areal density of the hip and spine and on the bone geometry and volumetric bone mineral density of the forearm in young females during late adolescence . The study was conducted among participants of a r and omized double-blinded , placebo-controlled clinical trial with calcium supplements and among participants of an observational study with higher consumption of dairy products .  Hip and spine measurements by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry were done every 6 mo ( dairy group every 12 mo ) during last 3 y of the follow-up while peripheral quantitative computerized tomography of the forearm was done at the last visit . The results of the study show a positive influence of calcium supplementation and dairy products on bone mineral density of the hip and the forearm . Dairy products were also associated with a higher bone mineral density of the spine while calcium supplementation did not have an effect . Calcium exerts its action on bone accretion during growth primarily by influencing volumetric bone mineral density while milk may have an additional impact on bone growth and periosteal bone expansion
Meta-regression analysis indicated that milk might have more effect on growth than other dairy products while lower height-for-age and being a teenager increased the effect of supplementation .
In conclusion , there is moderate quality evidence that dairy products supplementation  stimulate linear growth supporting hypotheses that changing levels of consumption of dairy products in the 19th and 20th centuries contributed to trends in height
The positive relationship between per capita availability of dairy products and average  height  found in historical studies ( for instance in nineteenth century Bavaria , Prussia and France ; Baten , 2009 ) does not necessarily indicate a causal relationship .
Historical studies usually apply non-experimental methods that may produce substantial bias .
Modern experimental controlled studies may provide high quality evidence supporting a causal relationship between consumption of dairy products and physical growth .
This paper provides a systematic review and meta- analysis of controlled trials investigating the effect of supplementing usual diet with dairy products on physical growth .