Eating more dairy linked to fewer fibroids

BOSTON, Dec. 7 (UPI) -- U.S. epidemiologists found increased dairy intake reduced the risk of uterine fibroids in African-American women.

Researchers at Boston University Medical Center said their study, published in the American Journal of Epidemiology, found high dairy intake was inversely associated with the risk of uterine fibroids -- benign tumors of the uterus -- in African-American women.

Fibroid incidence was reduced by 30 percent among women who had four or more dairy servings a day versus women who had less than one serving a day.

"Although the exact mechanisms are unclear, a protective effect of dairy consumption on uterine fibroids risk is plausible, as calcium, a major component of dairy foods, may reduce cell proliferation," study lead author Lauren Wise said in a statement. "This is the first report showing an inverse association between dairy intake and fibroid risk. If confirmed, a modifiable risk factor for fibroids, a major source of gynecologic morbidity, will have been identified."

The study was based on data from the Black Women's Health Study. The 59,000 study participants, enrolled in 1995, had diet assessed using a questionnaire. There were 5,871 incident cases of fibroids diagnosed after 10 years of follow-up.