Australia’s peak medical body, the National Health and Medical Research Council (NHMRC) has reviewed the evidence around dairy foods and prostate cancer, reporting limited and inconclusive evidence for a link between dairy, including milk, and prostate cancer.

Milk, cheese and yoghurt belong to one of the Five Food Groups recommended every day for good health in the Australian Dietary Guidelines. 

The Cancer Council supports the Australian Dietary Guidelines in encouraging the consumption of at least two and a half serves of milk, cheese, yoghurt and/or alternatives every day as part of a healthy balanced diet.

Some have suggested that because milk naturally contains hormones, this could lead to the development of cancer.

Milk does contain small amounts of naturally-occurring hormones, however, when you drink milk, these hormones are digested by enzymes in the gut and as a result, are broken down and not absorbed in their active form.

Evidence linking milk consumption and prostate cancer is limited and inconclusive.

Resources

Cancer Council NSW. Dairy foods and calcium.

National Health and Medical Research Council. Australian Dietary Guidelines Canberra: Commonwealth of Australia; 2013.