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Table 1 Associations between milk consumption and cancer outcomes

From: Milk consumption and multiple health outcomes: umbrella review of systematic reviews and meta-analyses in humans

Outcomes

First author

Year

Types of milk

No. of studies in MA

Type of studies in MA

No. of cases/total

Effects mode

Metric of MA

Effect size

95% CI

I2%

Publication bias

Significant associations

Most beneficial

Colon cancer

Barrubes

2019

Low-fat milk

2

Cohort

3339/15,441

Fixed

RR

0.73

0.61–0.87

0

NA

Distal colon cancer

Barrubes

2019

Milk

3

Cohort

40,651/15,657

Fixed

RR

0.75

0.63–0.90

25

NA

CRC

Barrubes

2019

Low-fat milk

2

Cohort

3507/484,338

Fixed

RR

0.76

0.66–0.88

42

NA

Colon cancer

Barrubes

2019

Milk

8

Cohort

3339/15,441

Random

RR

0.79

0.72–0.87

0

NA

Proximal colon cancer

Barrubes

2019

Milk

3

Cohort

40,651/15,657

Fixed

RR

0.81

0.68–0.96

0

NA

CRC

Barrubes

2019

Milk

9

Cohort

9118/1,003,303

Random

RR

0.82

0.76–0.88

2

NA

Rectal cancer

Barrubes

2019

Milk

5

Cohort

NA

Random

RR

0.84

0.73–0.97

0

NA

Colon cancer

Barrubes

2019

Milk

3

Cohort

3339/15,441

Fixed

RRa

0.88

0.84–0.93

0

NA

Bladder Cancer

Bermejo

2019

Milk

14

Cohort/case control

NA/438,319

Random

RR

0.89

0.81–0.98

66.4

0.269

CRC

Barrubes

2019

Milk

9

Cohort

9118/1,003,303

Random

RRb

0.90

0.86–0.93

0

NA

Rectal cancer

Barrubes

2019

Milk

3

Cohort

NA

Fixed

RRc

0.91

0.84–0.97

25

NA

Prostate cancer

Aune

2015

Milk

8

Cohort

19,664/448,719

Random

RR

0.92

0.85–0.99

0

No

Breast cancer

Wu

2016

Skim milk

8

Cohort

16,664/586,726

Random

RR

0.93

0.85–1.00

40.1

0.616

Breast cancer

Wu

2016

Skim milk

5

Cohort

NA

Random

RR

0.96

0.92–1.00

11.9

0.498

Most harmful

DLBCL

Wang

2016

Milk

3

Case–control

352/NA

Random

RR

1.49

1.08–2.06

8.9

NA

Gastric cancr

Wang

2018

Milk

21

Cohort/case control

NA

Random

RR

1.44

1.15–1.81

82.7

NA

NHL

Wang

2016

Milk

14

Cohort/case control

7109/NA

Random

RR

1.41

1.08–1.84

88.6

no

Ovarian cancer

Liu

2015

Milk

11

Cohort

NA

Random

OR

1.23

1.03–1.46

 > 50

0.957

Bladder Cancer

Bermejo

2019

Milk

3

Cohort/case control

NA/3933

Random

RR

1.21

1.04–1.38

86.1

NA

Prostate cancer

Aune

2015

Low-fat milk

6

Cohort

19,430/432,943

Random

RRd

1.14

1.05–1.25

51

NA

NHL

Wang

2016

Milk

9

Cohort/case control

3739/NA

Random

RRe

1.13

1.00–1.28

NA

NA

NHL

Wang

2016

Milk

9

Cohort/case control

3739/NA

Random

RRf

1.12

1.00–1.26

NA

NA

Prostate cancer

Aune

2015

Milk

14

Cohort

11,392/566,146

Random

RR

1.11

1.03–1.21

21

no

Prostate cancer

Aune

2015

Low-fat milk

5

Cohort

NA/374,664

Random

RRg

1.06

1.01–1.11

67

NA

Prostate cancer

Aune

2015

Milk

13

Cohort

NA/559,383

Random

RRg

1.03

1.00–1.06

9

NA

Non-significant associations

Distal colon cancer

Barrubes

2019

Milk

2

Cohort

40,651/15,657

Fixed

RR

0.78

0.60–1.01

0

NA

Breast cancer

Chen

2019

Low-fat milk

3

Case–control

NA

Random

OR

0.85

0.70–1.04

 < 50

0.583

Colon cancer

Barrubes

2019

Milk

2

Cohort

3339/15,441

Fixed

RR

0.87

0.72–1.05

0

NA

Pancreatic cancer

Genkinger

2014

Low-fat milk

14

Cohort

307/NA

Random

HR

0.87

0.75–1.01

5

NA

Breast cancer

Wu

2016

Milk

18

Cohort

19,747/775,778

Random

RR

0.92

0.84–1.02

53.5

0.292

Pancreatic cancer

Genkinger

2014

Milk

14

Cohort

373/NA

Random

HR

0.92

0.77–1.10

0

NA

Ovarian cancer

Liu

2015

Low-fat/skim milk

13

Cohort

NA

Random

OR

0.93

0.79–1.09

 < 50

0.370

ESCC

Li

2016

Milk

11

Case–control

2311/NA

Random

RR

0.93

0.74–1.16

52.9

0.960

Rectal cancer

Barrubes

2019

Milk

2

Cohort

NA

Fixed

RR

0.94

0.76–1.16

0

NA

Breast cancer

Chen

2019

Milk

8

Case–control

NA

Random

OR

0.95

0.80–1.13

 < 50

0.272

CRC

Barrubes

2019

Milk

3

Cohort

5198/545,046

Fixed

RR

0.97

0.86–1.09

40

NA

Breast cancer

Wu

2016

Milk

11

Cohort

NA

Random

RRg

0.97

0.93–1.01

36.4

0.355

ESCC

Li

2016

Milk

6

Case–control

NA

Random

RRb

0.97

0.70–1.35

58.9

NA

Lung cancer

Yang

2016

Low-fat milk

3

Cohort/case control

NA

Random

RR

0.98

0.69–1.41

0

0.120

Prostate cancer

Aune

2015

Milk

6

Cohort

NA/388,664

Random

RRg

0.98

0.95–1.01

0

NA

NHL

Sergentanis

2019

Milk

4

Cohort

1517/NA

Random

RR

0.99

0.85–1.15

0

0.461

Breast cancer

Wu

2016

Milk

9

Cohort

13,781/554,775

Random

RR

0.99

0.87–1.12

37.4

0.723

Endometrial cancer

Li

2017

Milk

6

Cohort/case control

3538/331,168

Random

OR

0.99

0.89–1.10

0

NA

FL

Wang

2016

Milk

3

Case–control

390/NA

Random

RR

0.99

0.47–2.07

89.8

NA

Pancreatic cancer

Genkinger

2014

Milk

14

Cohort

145/NA

Random

HR

1.01

0.83–1.22

0

NA

Breast cancer

Wu

2016

Milk

5

Cohort

NA

Random

RRg

1.02

0.92–1.13

32.8

0.660

NHL

Wang

2016

Milk

9

Cohort/case control

3739/NA

Random

RRh

1.04

0.97–1.12

NA

NA

SLL/CLL

Wang

2016

Milk

3

Case–control

477/NA

Random

RR

1.04

0.69–1.55

44.1

NA

NHL

Wang

2016

Milk

9

Cohort/case control

3739/NA

Random

RRi

1.07

0.96–1.19

NA

NA

Lung cancer

Yang

2016

Milk

22

Cohort/case control

NA

Random

RR

1.08

0.80–1.46

90.5

0.300

NHL

Wang

2016

Milk

9

Cohort/case control

3739/NA

Random

RRj

1.11

0.99–1.24

NA

NA

HCC

Yang

2017

Milk

7

Cohort/case control

NA

Random

RR

1.13

0.67–1.88

78

> 0.1

Proximal colon cancer

Barrubes

2019

Milk

2

Cohort

40,651/15,657

Fixed

RR

1.20

0.96–1.49

83

NA

  1. MA meta-analysis, CI confidence interval, RR risk ratio, HR hazard ratio, OR odds ratio, NHL non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma, HCC hepatocellular carcinoma, CRC colorectal cancer, DLBCL diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, FL follicular lymphoma, SLL/CLL small lymphocytic lymphoma/chronic lymphocytic leukemia, ESCC esophageal squamous cell carcinoma, NA not available
  2. a488 g/day; b244 g/day; c732 g/day; dhighest verse lowest; e200 g/day; f440 g/day; g490 g/day; h120 g/day; i210 g/day; j370 g/day