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Intake
of dairy milk is associated with a greater risk of breast
cancer in women, according to a new study conducted by
researchers. Researcher found that moderate amounts of dairy
milk consumption can increase women's risk of breast cancer
up to 80% depending on the amount consumed. Dietary intakes
of nearly 53,000 North American women were evaluated for the
study, all of whom were initially free of cancer and were
followed for nearly eight years. Dietary intakes were
estimated from food frequency questionnaires (FFQ), also
repeated 24 hour recalls, and a baseline questionnaire had
questions about demographics, family history of breast
cancer, physical activity, alcohol consumption, hormonal and
other medication use, breast cancer screening, and
reproductive and gynecological history. By the end of the
study period, there were 1,057 new breast cancer cases
during follow-up. No clear associations were found between
soy products and breast cancer, independent of dairy. But,
when compared to low or no milk consumption, higher intakes
of dairy calories and dairy milk were associated with
greater risk of breast cancer, independent of soy intake.
Fraser noted that the results had minimal variation when
comparing intake of full fat versus reduced or nonfat milks;
there were no important associations noted with cheese and
yogurt. A hazardous effect of dairy is consistent with the
recent AHS-2 report suggesting that vegans but not
lacto-ovo-vegetarians experienced less breast cancer than
non-vegetarians. Researcher said dairy milk does have some
positive nutritional qualities, but these need to be
balanced against other possible, less helpful effects. This
work suggests the urgent need for further research.
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