Abstract

STUDY OBJECTIVE To study the association between reported milk consumption and cardiovascular and all cause mortality.

DESIGN A prospective study of 5765 men aged 35–64 at the time of examination.

SETTING Workplaces in the west of Scotland between 1970 and 1973.

PARTICIPANTS Men who completed a health and lifestyle questionnaire, which asked about daily milk consumption, and who attended for a medical examination.

MAIN RESULTS 150 (2.6%) men reported drinking more than one and a third pints a day, Some 2977 (51.6%) reported drinking between a third and one and a third pints a day and 2638 (45.8%) reported drinking less than a third of a pint a day. There were a total of 2350 deaths over the 25 year follow up period, of which 892 deaths were attributed to coronary heart disease. The relative risk, adjusted for socioeconomic position, health behaviours and health status for deaths from all causes for men who drank one third to one and a third pints a day versus those who drank less than a third of a pint was 0.90 (95% CI 0.83, 0.97). The adjusted relative risk for deaths attributed to coronary heart disease for men who drank one third to one and a third pints a day versus those who drank less than one third of a pint was 0.92 (95% CI 0.81, 1.06).

CONCLUSIONS No evidence was found that men who consumed milk each day, at a time when most milk consumed was full fat milk, were at increased risk of death from all causes or death from coronary heart disease.