Sun Yat-sen University: 1–3 servings of milk weekly linked to lower risk of cardiovascular death

Researchers from Sun Yat-sen University analysed data on 18,214 adults aged 50 and older from China, according to knowridge.com. Drinking one to three servings of milk a week was associated with a lower risk of death from heart and blood vessel disease, while more than three servings a week was associated with a higher risk of cancer death. The work was published in Clinical Nutrition. knowridge.comknowridge.comknowridge.comOpen source ↗

Cohort and milk intake

Participants joined the Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study between 2003 and 2006. None had a history of heart or blood vessel disease at enrolment.

Milk intake was much lower than in many Western countries. About seven in ten participants reported drinking none. Roughly 15% drank one to three 250-milliliter servings a week, and around 16% drank more than three.

The team followed the participants for an average of 11.5 years. In that time 2,697 people died, including 917 from heart and blood vessel disease and 1,029 from cancer. knowridge.comknowridge.comknowridge.comOpen source ↗

What the associations showed

Compared with people who never drank milk, those who drank one to three servings weekly had a lower risk of death from heart and blood vessel disease. The association was also seen for deaths from heart disease caused by reduced blood flow and from stroke.

In the group drinking more than three servings weekly, the risk of death from cancer overall was higher, particularly from cancer of the esophagus. The study found no clear link between higher milk intake and deaths from several other cancers, including lung and liver cancer. It also did not establish that moderate milk drinking reduced deaths from all causes.

Limits of the study

The researchers observed people's habits and did not assign them to drink different amounts of milk, so the findings do not prove that milk causes either benefit or harm. Differences in diet, income, health and lifestyle may have influenced the results even after statistical adjustments. knowridge.comknowridge.comknowridge.comOpen source ↗

The data come from an older Chinese population with relatively low milk consumption. They may not apply directly to younger people or to countries where daily milk drinking is common. Larger studies in different populations are needed before firm conclusions can be drawn about the safest amount.