Research presented at the 10th AARC (American Association for Cancer Research) International Conference on Frontiers in Cancer Prevention Research held in late October concluded that drinking lots of water may provide some protection from bladder cancer for men. Subjects participating in the study were 47,909 men who are part of the prospective Health Professional Follow-Up Study (HPHS) over a 22 year period. At enrollment in this long term study in 1986, men were between ages 40 and 75 years of age. Subjects answered a questionaire about fluid intake every 4 years. Results showed that a high total fluid intake of more than 2,531 milliliters daily (just over 5.35 pints) was associated with a 24% reduced risk for bladder cancer in men.
This association was found between fluid intake and bladder risk in this group 10 years ago. The association was weaker now that earlier and may result from the higher association found between younger men and fluid intake. Researchers also found that men drink fewer fluids, especially water, as they age. Although they warned against generalizing these results, researchers suggested that doctors should recommend fluid intake for aging men.
