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06.11.2022

This daily dose of zinc increases your risk of prostate cancer

Scientists have known for years about an association between the use of zinc supplements and prostate cancer. [Eur Urol. 2007 Oct;52(4):1052-6.] Thanks to an American study that followed tens of thousands of adult men for thirty years, we now know fairly precisely how many milligrams of zinc you need to take every day for years to increase your risk of prostate cancer.

Study
Harvard University epidemiologists analyzed data from 47,240 men who had participated in the Health Professionals Follow-up Study. The researchers followed the men between 1986 and 2016 - that is, for thirty years.

During this period, 6,980 men developed prostate cancer. Of these, 1053 men died of their illness.

The researchers knew the men's use of nutritional supplement use. In their study, soon to be published in the European Journal of Epidemiology, they looked at whether there was a link between the use of zinc supplements and prostate cancer.

Results
Zinc supplement users were not significantly more likely to develop prostate cancer than non-users.

However, men who binned 75 milligrams or more of zinc daily for 15 years or more were 76 percent and 80 percent more likely to develop deadly and aggressive forms of prostate cancer, respectively, than men who did not take supplements.

And yes, these associations were statistically significant.

Conclusion
"In conclusion, high-dose, long-duration zinc supplement use may increase risk of lethal and aggressive prostate cancer", summarize the researchers. "Caution is warranted regarding excessive zinc supplementation among men."

The researchers are therefore explicitly talking about excessive use. Men who want to boost their immune system through short-term zinc cycles need not worry.

Source:
Eur J Epidemiol. 2022 Nov 3;1-10. doi: 10.1007/s10654-022-00922-0. Online ahead of print.

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Cancer Prevention
Prostate Cancer
Minerals
Zinc

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