Drinking dairy milk can raise risks of prostate cancer in men, according to new research.
Milk is popular, nutrient rich and enjoyed by many on cereal, in coffee, or as a stand alone drink
According to the NHS, it is a great source of protein and calcium.
But now, researchers have claimed drinking milk can increase the risk of prostate cancer.
The widespread study found those who downed around three-quarters of a pint a day were 25 per cent more likely to develop the disease, reports Wales Online.
This was compared to peers consuming less than a quarter of a pint a week.
The white stuff contains stimulants that fuel cell division.
Scientists advised milk lovers to switch to vegan varieties such as soy, oat and cashew.
Interestingly, the study found no such link with yoghurt and cheese.
Potentially harmful hormones and proteins are lost during fermentation.
Lead author Professor Gary Fraser, of Loma Linda University, California, said the phenomenon applied to reduced and non fat milks, as well as full fat.
He said: "Our findings add important weight to other evidence associating dairy products, rather than non-dairy calcium, as a modifiable risk factor for prostate cancer."
They were based on more than 28,000 men in the US tracked for an average of nearly eight years, all of whom were initially cancer free. Food frequency questionnaires showed they had had a wide range of dairy and calcium exposure.
By the end of the study period, state cancer registries reported 1,254 new prostate cancer cases among the participants during follow-up. Non-dairy calcium from nuts, seeds, green vegetables, legumes, fruits and fortified cereals was separated from dairy foods intake.
Prof Fraser said: "Because our study cohort showed a great disparity and divergence of dairy intake and calcium levels, we could ask the question with unusual strength." Interestingly, results did not show a uniform rise in risk in men with incrementally more dairy intake.
In other words, increasing dairy intake by 50-gram increments did not yield the same risk increases as the portions grew larger and larger. Prof Fraser said: "Most of the continuing increase in risk is done with by the time you get to 150 grams, about two-thirds of a cup of milk per day.
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