Breast Cancer Risk And Dairy
There is no good, consistent evidence that milk and dairy products can cause breast cancer.
Some studies have found that dairy might increase the risk of breast cancer. Whilst others have found it may decrease breast cancer risk. We need more high-quality studies to understand whether there is a link.
The best thing you can do is to eat a healthy, balanced diet.
What Is A Serve Of Dairy
One serve of dairy equals:
- 1 cup milk
- ½ cup evaporated unsweetened milk
- 200g yoghurt
- 40g cheese .
Practical and healthy ways to consume dairy foods include:
- a milkshake made with skim milk and fresh banana or berries
- low fat vanilla yoghurt with some passionfruit or natural muesli
- a low fat yoghurt dip with vegetable sticks as a snack
- a fruit salad topped with some low fat natural yoghurt
- bake potatoes in the oven and stuff them with vegetables and grated low-fat tasty cheese
- low fat cream cheese as a spread on sandwiches instead of butter
- low fat natural yoghurt with chopped mint or coriander as an accompaniment to lamb or Indian flavoured dishes
- shaved parmesan cheese over the top of pasta dishes and risottos
- a bean dip made by mashing baked beans and adding some chilli and grated low fat tasty cheese before heating to serve.
Can Milk And Dairy Products Cause Cancer
- There is not enough good evidence to prove that milk and dairy can cause cancer
- Eating and drinking milk and dairy products can reduce the risk of bowel cancer
- The NHS Eatwell Guide recommends having some dairy as part of a healthy, balanced diet
Eating and drinking milk and dairy can reduce the risk of bowel cancer. But there is no proof it increases or decreases the risk of any other cancer type.
This page is about dairy products and cancer risk for the general public. If youve had a cancer diagnosis, speak to your doctor if you have questions or concerns about your diet.
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Data Abstraction And Quality Assessment
Data abstraction and quality assessment were conducted independently by two reviewers using a standardized approach. A third reviewer adjudicated disagreements after referring to the original articles. Data retrieved from the reports included publication details, methodological components, and the following trial characteristics: title, author, publication year, country in which study was conducted, sample size, age of subjects, follow-up duration, and covariates controlled for by matching or multivariate analysis. The number of cases/noncases or person-year data and adjusted RR/OR for each consumption category were extracted or estimated. For studies that reported several multivariate adjusted RRs/ORs, the effect estimate was extracted after fully adjusting for potential confounders. Study quality was assessed using the 9-star Newcastle-Ottawa Scale by two investigators .
Analysis Of Publication Bias And Sensitivity
Beggs rank correlation and Eggers linear regression test were employed to estimate publication bias. Beggs rank correlation test and Eggers linear regression test results indicated the absence of publication bias among included articles . The sensitivity analysis suggested that the overall risk assessment was not substantially modified by any single study, revealing the stability of the above results.
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What Did The Present Study Find
“This study of over 1 million women from 21 different cohorts found that dairy products, overall, are unlikely to increase breast cancer risk, and that fermented dairy products may lower risk, especially of harder to treat estrogen receptor-negative tumors,” explains , Senior Scientific Director, Epidemiology Research, at the American Cancer Society, and one of the researchers on the study.
Concerns about dairy and breast cancer were largely put to rest. The researchers found null or very weak inverse associations between the dairy foods studied, calcium , and the risk of developing overall or estrogen receptor -positive breast cancer.
Further, the researchers found that certain dairy foods, such as yogurt, ricotta cheese, and cottage cheese are associated with a weak reduction in the risk of breast cancer.
Breast Cancer Patients Who Eat Cheese Yogurts Or Ice Cream Could Halve Their Chances Of Survival
- Eating one portion of a product containing full-fat milk each day could hinder survival chances
- The hormone oestrogen found in milk and other dairy foods may encourage tumour growth, say researchers
- This is the first study to show such a strong link between dairy products and breast cancer
16:39 EST, 14 March 2013 | Updated:
Breast cancer patients who regularly eat cheese, yoghurts or ice cream may be hindering their survival chances
One ice cream or yoghurt a day could hinder the survival of women with breast cancer, scientists say.
Those with the disease who eat a single portion daily of a product containing full-fat milk could be 50 per cent more likely to die.
US scientists suspect this is because milk and other dairy foods contain the hormone oestrogen, which encourages tumour growth.
There is already some evidence that diet plays a role in improving the chances of surviving cancer and preventing it returning. But this is the first study to show such a strong link between dairy products and breast cancer.
Around one in eight women will develop breast cancer at some point in their lives and there are around 50,000 new cases a year.
Although survival chances are far better than other forms of the illness it still leads to 11,800 deaths annually.
Scientists from the Kaiser Permanente research centre in California looked at the records of 1,500 women diagnosed with breast cancer between 1997 and 2000.
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A Possible Link Between Milk And Breast Cancer Is Not Udder Nonsense
Trying to milk the scientific literature for evidence of a link between dairy consumption and breast cancer can drive one crazy. Is milk protective against this dreaded disease or does it cause it? It depends on which study you happen to read. The latest volley in this battle was fired by researchers from Loma Linda University who concluded that even small amounts of milk, as little as a third of a cup a day, can significantly raise the risk of breast cancer.
The subjects were all Seventh Day Adventists with a large subset consuming either no dairy or little dairy thereby providing a significant group for comparison with the milk drinkers. Soy products were also frequently consumed in this population and were not associated with breast cancer. Substituting these for milk actually offered protection against the disease. The researchers suggested several possible reasons why milk can increase the risk of breast cancer. Since the lactating cows are usually pregnant, they secrete estrogen and progesterone in the milk and these may play a role in triggering hormone-sensitive cancers. Milk also contains insulin-like growth factor 1, IGF-1, a protein that some studies have implicated as a possible stimulant of cancer cell proliferation.
Cheese May Raise Breast Cancer Risk But Yogurt Could Reduce It
Dairy foods have their pros and cons though they are a good source of calcium, they can also be high in fat. When it comes to the effects of dairy foods on breast cancer risk, a new study finds that they can be just as conflicting.
Researchers have found that eating high amounts of cheddar and cream cheeses may increase womens risk of breast cancer, but a high intake of yogurt may reduce risk of the disease.
Lead study author Susan McCann, Ph.D., of the Department of Cancer Prevention and Control at Roswell Park Cancer Institute in Buffalo, NY, and colleagues recently reported their findings in the journal Current Developments in Nutrition.
Breast cancer is the most common cancer among women in the United States, after skin cancer. In 2017, there are expected to be around 252,710 new cases of invasive breast cancer diagnosed in women, as well as more than 40,000 deaths from the disease.
Diet is known to play a key role in breast cancer risk. Medical News Todayrecently reported on a study linking a poor diet during adolescence and early adulthood to a greater risk of premenopausal breast cancer.
Though some dairy products might fall under the umbrella of an unhealthful diet, research assessing the impact of dairy foods on breast cancer risk has produced inconsistent results some studies have linked dairy intake to greater breast cancer risk, while others have indicated the opposite.
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Health Benefits Of Consuming Milk
Agarwal goes on to talk about the many health benefits of drinking milk and mentions the following:
1. Low fat calcium-rich dairy is associated with lower blood pressure, prevention of osteoporosis, and muscle growth.
2. Milk and other dairy products are required to build strong bones in childhood
3. Regular milk intake can help in preventing of bone fractures and osteoporosis in adulthood till later years of life.
4. Milk contains protein, calcium, magnesium, manganese, zinc, Vitamin D, and Vitamin K- all of which are necessary for bone health, and to prevent the risk of many chronic diseases.
5. Milk has also been associated with reduced risk of colorectal cancer because calcium from milk can bind to cancer-causing secondary bile acids and ionising fatty acids, reducing their proliferation.
6. Milk obtained from grass-fed cows also contain beneficial fatty acids like omega-3 fatty acids and conjugated linoleic acid.
“But, there is a flip side to milk too, says Agarwal, while adding, “As much as 60% of the world’s population suffers from lactose intolerance, which can lead to indigestion, bloating, constipation, diarrhoea or sometimes more serious health concerns on the consumption of milk. Full-fat dairy has also linked with an increase in cholesterol levels,” says Agarwal.
According to the Delhi-based nutritionist, adults can have 200-300 ml of dairy products in a day. “This can be consumed in the form of milk, cottage cheese, or yogurt as per your liking.”
Doctors Want A Warning Label On Cheese Because Of A Link To Breast Cancer But The Evidence Is Mixed
- A group of doctors has petitioned the FDA to add a warning label to cheese, cautioning consumers that it contains hormones that may increase the risk of breast cancer.
- Cheese made from cows milk can contain reproductive and growth hormones that some research has linked to cancer risks.
- But other research has found that cheese is actually associated with health benefits, like a lower risk of heart disease and type 2 diabetes. And its perfectly safe in moderation, a nutritionist told Insider.
- Visit INSIDERs homepage for more.
Cheddar, brie, mozzarella, or Gouda? Some doctors say your choice of cheese should be none at all, especially if youre a woman.
The doctors, members of the nonprofit Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, have petitioned the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to add a warning label to cheese made from cows milk, cautioning consumers that the hormones it contains may be linked to an increased risk of breast cancer.
The organisation, which is dedicated to promoting health through plant-based nutrition and reducing consumption of animal products, submitted the petition October 3, the start of Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Its 12,000 members cited research that high-fat cheese products are linked with up to 53% increase in breast cancer risk.
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Risk Of Bias Assessment
The NOS checklist was adopted to objectively evaluate the quality of included observational studies in this meta-study. According to the quality evaluation results of the investigators, 13 studies out of 36 were rated 9 points, 16 studies were rated 8 points, 5 studies were rated 7 points and 2 studies were rated 6 points. All included studies were of higher quality based on methodology. Supplementary Table 2 explicitly recorded the assessment of risk of bias.
Evidence Suggests Consistently Drinking As Little As One Cup Per Day May Increase Rate Of Breast Cancer Up To 50%
- Date:
- Loma Linda University Adventist Health Sciences Center
- Summary:
- Intake of dairy milk is associated with a greater risk of breast cancer in women — up to 80% depending on the amount consumed — according to a new study.
Intake of dairy milk is associated with a greater risk of breast cancer in women, according to a new study conducted by researchers at Loma Linda University Health.
Dairy, soy and risk of breast cancer: Those confounded milks, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, found that even relatively moderate amounts of dairy milk consumption can increase women’s risk of breast cancer — up to 80% depending on the amount consumed.
First author of the paper, Gary E. Fraser, MBChB, PhD, said the observational study gives “fairly strong evidence that either dairy milk or some other factor closely related to drinking dairy milk is a cause of breast cancer in women.
“Consuming as little as 1/4 to 1/3 cup of dairy milk per day was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer of 30%,” Fraser said. “By drinking up to one cup per day, the associated risk went up to 50%, and for those drinking two to three cups per day, the risk increased further to 70% to 80%.”
Current U.S. Dietary guidelines recommend three cups of milk per day. “Evidence from this study suggests that people should view that recommendation with caution,” Fraser said.
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Analysis About The Effect Of Low
Eleven studies explored the impact of low-fat dairy products on BC, including six studies grouped by menopause. During the study period, During the study period, 19,699 newly detected BC cases were found. According to the meta-analysis, low-fat dairy products were found to have no noticeable effect on all populations and postmenopausal population . However, for the premenopausal population, the consumption of low-fat dairy products conferred a statistically significant difference in protection against BC with moderate heterogeneity among studies . Table provides the detailed data.
Is Consumption Of Dairy Milk Important
We spoke to clinical nutritionist Rupali Datta about the said the study. “This is an observational study, the researchers now have to take this hypothesis forward with a Randomised Controlled Trial or case controlled study to reach some conclusion,” she explains.
On being asked if milk consumption is important for kids and adults, she asserts that it is especially essential for healthy growth of kids. Until the said study is further taken for trials, adults can have half a litre of milk every day, she tells DoctorNDTV.
Nutritionist Nmami Agarwal says that while some studies have raised concerns about dairy milk being linked to breast cancer risk, a conclusive link has not been found. “It is still under research and it is quite early to confirm this claim of the link between dairy milk and breast cancer,” she says.
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Bias Risk And Study Quality Assessment
The quality of each included study was evaluated and scored using the Newcastle-Ottawa Quality Assessment Scale checklist, a tool used for quality assessment of non-randomized studies, which is composed of eight items classified into three aspects, including selection, comparability, and outcome. The maximum scores of this checklist were nine, and scores between six and nine were identified to higher study quality.
Foods From Animal Sources
Animal foods is a term used to describe all foods of animal origin. These foods may be derived from the animal flesh itself or foods that are produced by animals
Animal foods are generally a good source of protein, but the fat content varies according to the specific species from which they are derived. Dairy products are a good source of calcium. Consumption of foods such as red meat and fish generally increases with economic development, whereas consumption of dairy products is variable, particularly in Asia where many populations are lactose intolerant.
Animal foods such as meat and fish may be processed before consumption by smoking, curing, salting or by adding preservatives. Meat and fish are also often cooked using very high temperatures during frying, grilling or barbecuing . These methods of processing and preparation may affect the chemical composition as well as the nutritional value of animal foods.
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Processed Meat And Cancer
Overall it is likely that a combination of mechanisms contribute to higher risk of colorectal cancer among people consuming high quantities of processed meat. Similar to red meat, processed meat is rich in fat, protein and haem iron which can promote tumorigenesis through the mechanisms described above.
Processed meats are often cooked at high temperatures which can lead to increased exposure to heterocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons.
Processed meat is invariably higher in fat content than red meat which may promote carcinogenesis through synthesis of secondary bile acids however, human data supporting this hypothesis are weak.
Processed meat is also a source of exogenously derived N-nitroso compounds, which may have carcinogenic potential.
How Much Dairy Should I Eat Or Drink
Milk and dairy are good sources of calcium and protein. The NHS Eatwell Guide recommends having some dairy or dairy alternatives as part of a healthy, balanced diet.
The amount of fat , salt and sugar in dairy products can vary. Where possible choose low-sugar and reduced-fat products as they are healthier dairy options.
Examples include:
- 1% fat milk
- Reduced-fat cheese
- Lower-fat spreads
- Plain, low-fat yoghurt
Not everyone can eat dairy and some people choose not to. Dairy alternatives are also good sources of calcium. For example, unsweetened, calcium-fortified soya versions of milk, cheese and yoghurt.
The British Dietetic Association recommends you aim for 3 portions of dairy foods a day.
Examples of adult portions of dairy include:
- A glass of 1% fat milk
- A 150g pot of plain, low-fat yogurt
- A matchbox-size piece of cheese
Remember, when it comes to cancer risk, your overall diet is much more important than individual foods.
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