Exercise, low-fat dairy may deter diseases in men

Men should exercise vigorously at least three hours a week to stem potentially fatal cases of prostate cancer, and should consume daily helpings of low-fat dairy foods to hold off diabetes, two studies have found.

In the first study, based on 14 years worth of data on nearly 48,000 men working in the health field, researchers found a 70% lower risk of advanced or fatal cases of prostate cancer among men 65 or older who exercised vigorously at least three hours per week.

The study found no overall relationship between exercise and the disease except for the lowered risk of advanced and fatal cases of prostate cancer among the older men. The association was not seen among younger men.

The second study used data from the same survey to conclude that consumption of low-fat dairy products -- especially skim milk -- lowered men’s risk of developing adult-onset diabetes.

Each added daily serving of low-fat dairy products was associated with a 9% lower risk for diabetes, the report said. Both studies appeared in this month’s Archives of Internal Medicine.