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Too Much Calcium in Blood May Increase Risk of Fatal Prostate Cancer WINSTON-SALEM, NC -- September 11, 2008 -- Men who have too much calcium in their bloodstreams may have an increased risk of fatal prostate cancer, according to a study in the September issue of Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention. "We show that men in upper range of the normal distribution of serum calcium subsequently have an almost 3-fold increased risk for fatal prostate cancer," said Gary G. Schwartz, PhD, Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center, Winston-Salem, North Carolina. Co-author Halcyon G. Skinner, PhD, School of Medicine and Public Health at the University of Wisconsin, Madison, Wisconsin stressed that there is "little relationship between calcium in the diet and calcium in serum. So men needn't be concerned about reducing their ordinary dietary intakes of calcium." The authors analysed the results of 2,814 men who participated in the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES-1). Measurement of the amount of calcium in the bloodstreams was determined an average of 9.9 years before prostate cancer was diagnosed. The researchers focused on the 85 cases of prostate cancer and 25 prostate cancer deaths among the 2,814 men and divided the group into thirds, based on the serum calcium level. "Comparing men in the top third with men in the bottom third, we found a significantly increased hazard for fatal prostate cancer," the authors wrote. The upper third of NHANES-1 participants had high normal calcium levels, ranging from 9.9 to 10.5 mg/dL. "These results support the hypothesis that high serum calcium, or a factor strongly associated with it, such as high serum parathyroid hormone, increases the risk for fatal prostate cancer," they wrote. "The take-home message is that this may offer a simple means to detect men who are at increased risk of fatal prostate cancer," said Dr. Skinner said. "What is particularly exciting -- if this study is replicated, and attempts to do so are already in progress -- is that it suggests that a man may reduce his risk of fatal prostate cancer by lowering serum levels of calcium and/or parathyroid hormone." SOURCE: Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center E-mail this page to a friend or colleague! To print, use this version