"Our findings clearly show that when the numbers of deaths from CHD, stroke and colorectal cancer were taken into account, there is strong evidence of an overall reduction in the risk of dying from these chronic diseases due to milk consumption. We certainly found no evidence that drinking milk might increase the risk of developing any condition, with the exception of prostate cancer. Put together, there is convincing overall evidence that milk consumption is associated with an increase in survival in Western communities."

The reviewers also believe that increased milk consumption is likely to reduce health care costs substantially due to reduced chronic disease and associated morbidity.

"There is an urgent need to understand the mechanisms involved and for focused studies to confirm the epidemiological evidence since this topic has major implications for the agri-food industry," added Professor Givens.

Full bibliographic information: Elwood et al. 2008. The Survival Advantage of Milk and Dairy Consumption:an Overview of Evidence from Cohort Studies of Vascular Diseases, Diabetes and Cancer. Journal of the American College of Nutrition. Vol. 27, No. 6, 723S-734S

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