According to American experts, calcium intake correlates with an increased risk of prostate cancer. Prostate cancer is the third leading cause of cancer death in men of all ages and leading among men over 75. 80% of men over 80 have prostate cancer. Despite the conflicting results of numerous scientific studies, scientists are of the opinion that the vital microelement for the human body can increase or decrease the risk of certain oncological diseases. Previous research has shown that excessive intake of multivitamins increases the risk of prostate cancer. Researchers from Colorado State University (USA) studied the relationship between calcium intake and the risk of prostate cancer. Data from 27,293 men were analyzed, 298 of whom had some form of prostate cancer. Each of the volunteers went through a medical examination and filled out a questionnaire about their eating habits and preferences. Calcium is one of the most abundant minerals in the human body. It makes up about 1.5% of total body weight. A person’s bones and teeth contain 99% of the total amount of calcium in the body. The main sources of calcium are vegetables (19%), cereals (15%), soy (12%), fruits (7%) and fish (6%), as well as dairy products (17%). It turns out, however, that apart from maintaining the strength and density of bones, calcium is also related to tumorigenesis. In men who took the highest amount of calcium (659 mg/day), the probability of developing prostate cancer was a quarter higher than in those who took up to 210 mg/day of the trace element. In addition, in men with a lower than average body mass (22.9 kg/m3) who regularly take calcium supplements, the risk of developing malignant tumors of the prostate is particularly elevated. Research data shows that thinner men who take calcium supplements are twice as likely to develop the disease as those who are a similar weight but take less calcium. “The results of our studies strongly suggest that calcium supplements increase the risk of malignant prostate tumors, especially in men with a low body mass index. The obtained data are consistent with those obtained in previous studies. In the future, we would like to determine the exact mechanisms by which the metabolism of calcium in the human body affects tumorigenesis,” the authors of the study say. Detailed results of the scientific work were published on the website of the Cancer Research publication on June 1. , 2010.