Dairy products

CautionSuggested

2 studies · 2 recommendations

Last updated: February 20, 2026

Caution1 studies

High dairy product intake associated with elevated gastric cancer risk

Dairy product consumption showed a significant positive association with gastric cancer risk. This may relate to locally produced dairy products in this region, and the finding warrants cautious interpretation given that dairy associations with cancer vary across populations.

Evidence

The role of diet and other environmental factors in the causation of gastric cancer in Iran—A population based study

Authors: Acquavella, Aragones, Blackburn, Blair, Boeing, Boeing, Buiatti, Burns, Chen, Chow, Correa, Correa, Correa, Crew, Danesh, De Stefani, De Stefani, De Stefani, De Stefani, Derakhshan, Dorant, Dorzhgotov, Drake, Ekstrom, Engel, Eslick, Ferlay, Forman, Forman, Fox, Galanis, Gao, Goldbohm, Gonzalez, Gonzalez, Haenszel, Hamada, Harrison, Helicobacter and Cancer Collaborative Group, Honda, Howard, Huang, IARC, IARC, IARC, Inoue, Ito, Jansen, Joossens, Kamineni, Karmali, Kim, Kinlen, La Vecchia, La Vecchia, Lauren, Lee, Lissowska, Lissowska, Lopez-Carrillo, Machida-Montani, Mathew, Munoz, Munoz, Nomura, Palli, Parent, Parkin, Parsonnet, Rao, Rigdon, Rocco, Sadjadi, Sadjadi, Sadjadi, Samadi, Sitas, Takezaki, Touati, Tsugane, Uemura, Vineis, Ward, Watanabe, World Cancer Research Fund, American Institute for Cancer Research, Xue, Yatsuya, Yazdanbod, You

Published: July 1, 1388

In a population-based case-control study from Ardabil Province, Iran, with 217 cases and 394 controls (2004–2005), consumption of dairy products was positively associated with gastric cancer risk in multivariate analysis (OR = 2.28). This represents a 128% increase in risk among high consumers compared to low consumers, after adjusting for other dietary factors and H. pylori infection. The association may be specific to regional dairy types and preservation methods.

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Suggested1 studies

Dairy inversely associated with gastric cancer risk

Meta-analytic evidence demonstrated an inverse association between dairy consumption and gastric cancer risk, suggesting dairy may have a protective role against stomach malignancy.

Evidence

Milk and dairy products: good or bad for human health? An assessment of the totality of scientific evidence

Authors: Abargouei AS, Abrams SA, Ahearn TU, Alexander DD, Anne Raben, Arne Astrup, Astrup A, Astrup A, Astrup A, Aune D, Aune D, Aune D, Beavers KM, Beavers KM, Bendtsen LQ, Bergholdt HK, Berneis KK, Bischoff-Ferrari HA, Bolland MJ, Booth AO, Bácsi K, Cauley JA, Chen M, Chowdhury R, de Goede J, Dietz WH, Doidge JC, Dong JY, Dror DK, Ellis D, Frid AH, Gao D, Genkinger JM, Gijsbers L, Gilbert JA, Heyman MB, Hjerpsted J, Holt PR, Holt PR, Host A, Hou R, Hu D, Huncharek M, Huncharek M, Huth PJ, Ian Givens, Jakobsen MU, Ji J, Kalkwarf HJ, Kanis JA, Karagas MR, Keum N, Krauss RM, Laaksonen MA, Lamprecht SA, Larsson SC, Latino-Martel P, Le Louer B, Li F, Lorenzen JK, Lu L, Maersk M, Maghsoudi Z, Mao QQ, Merritt MA, Michaelsson K, Mora S, Mursu J, Musunuru K, Newmark HL, Nilsson M, O'Sullivan TA, Onning G, Paganini-Hill A, Park YW, Power ML, Qin LQ, Raziani F, Rice BH, Rideout TC, Rizzoli R, Roddam AW, Rozen P, Sabita S. Soedamah-Muthu, Savaiano DA, Schoemaker AA, Sieber R, Sjogren P, Soedamah-Muthu SS, Soedamah-Muthu SS, Soerensen KV, St-Pierre AC, Tanja Kongerslev Thorning, Thorning TK, Tine Tholstrup, Tong X, Travis RC, Wang C, Weaver CM, Yang Y, Yu Y, Zang J, Zheng H

Published: January 1, 2016

This umbrella review of meta-analyses from observational studies identified an inverse association between milk and dairy intake and gastric cancer risk. The pooled evidence from multiple systematic reviews demonstrated a consistent protective signal for dairy consumption against gastric cancer development, alongside similar inverse associations for colorectal, bladder, and breast cancers.

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