A recent survey conducted by Morning Consult for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine revealed that only 20% of U.S. men are aware of the potential link between dairy consumption and an increased risk of prostate cancer. The survey, which included 1,102 U.S. men, was released during Prostate Cancer Awareness Month. It also found that 66% of the respondents said they would consider avoiding dairy if they learned about this connection. Additionally, only 20% of the men surveyed had received information from a healthcare professional about how nutrition might affect prostate cancer risk. Previous research has found that higher consumption of dairy products, such as milk and cheese, may be associated with a greater risk of developing prostate cancer. A meta-analysis combining data from 32 studies showed a link between high dairy intake and an increased risk. One study found that men who drank at least one serving of skim or low-fat milk daily had a 19% higher risk of prostate cancer than those who rarely drank it. Another study followed 3,612 men over 8 to 10 years and found that those with the highest intake of low-fat dairy—about three servings a day—were more than twice as likely to develop prostate cancer compared to those who consumed less than one serving per day. Some research also suggests that higher dairy intake might be linked to a greater risk of dying from prostate cancer. The survey also found that awareness of these findings is influencing opinions on food labeling. Among the men surveyed, 76% supported the idea of warning labels on dairy products to inform consumers about the potential prostate cancer risk. Research has also shown that diets rich in plant-based foods may lower the risk of prostate cancer. The Adventist Health Study-2 found that men following a vegan diet had a 35% lower risk of prostate cancer compared to those following other types of vegetarian or nonvegetarian diets. Plant-based diets may also offer benefits after a prostate cancer diagnosis. In a study involving over 2,000 men with prostate cancer, those who ate the most plant-based foods had a 56% lower risk of the cancer progressing and a 59% lower risk of it returning compared to those who ate the fewest plant-based foods. Prostate cancer is the most common cancer among men in the United States, according to the American Cancer Society's 2024 annual report. It is also the second leading cause of cancer-related deaths in men. The American Cancer Society estimates that 333,830 new cases of prostate cancer will be diagnosed in the United States in 2026, with 36,320 deaths expected from the disease that year.