In this American study, researchers at the Harvard School of Public Heath have assessed exposure to dairy products at various stages of a female’s life, and in particular during adolescence, the premenopausal years, and postmenopause.
They assessed the association of dairy food and nutrient intake with the risk of ovarian cancer during 28 years of follow-up including 764 cases in the Nurses’ Health Study (NHSI) and NHSII. The results revealed no association in adulthood between EOC and the consumption of whole milk, dairy calcium or dairy fat, at any intake level.
They also observed an inverse association with skim milk intake (-24%) and with lactose intake (-13%), but the cases involved were not significant. Similar risk estimates were observed for dairy food/nutrient intake during high school, in the premenopause and postmenopause. However, lactose intake in adulthood was inversely associated with risk of endometrioid EOC (-68%), which deserves further study.