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Does Cheese Cause Breast Cancer

The Most Popular Milk Cow Or Goat

Doctors: Cheese may increase breast cancer risk

In Northern America and many developed countries, the primary source of dairy is from cows. Surprisingly, goat milk is the most ingested milk globally. Given the concerns over regular milk consumption and increased cancer risk, it is useful to compare goat and cow milk and countries where it is consumed to see if one seems preferable to the other.

Goats as a dairy source have risen in popularity in recent years as they require much less land than cows. The growing ethnic diversity in the US is also considered to have affected its popularity. The top producers of commercially available goat milk have increased production more than 30%. However, the goat milk industry in the US has not flourished, and it is mainly sold only in specialty stores or directly from farmers. Most milk in the US still comes from cows.

Research On Milk Estrogen Levels

As milk and dairy are frequently consumed on a daily basis throughout life, it is estimated that their consumption accounts for 60-70% of the total estrogen consumption. This warrants continued research into the risk this poses for cancer and other diseases.

Farlow et al., conducted research on estrogen content of commercially available milk. The bar chart below comes from the research: Journal of Dairy Science, Vol. 95, No. 4, 2012, page 1707. It shows total estrogen content in 7 selected milk samples 6 from cows and one from goats.

Total estrogen levels in cow and goat milk. . Journal of Dairy Science, Vol 95, No.4.2012, page 1705

The results indicate that estrogens were significantly lower in goat milk compared with the cow milk tested.

It may seem surprising that total estrogens in organic milk were higher than regular cow milk. While organic milk may not have an advantage of lower estrogen levels over regular milk, it does have fewer pesticides and growth hormones.

How Your Diet May Affect Your Risk Of Breast Cancer

Eating right is one important way you may be able to lower your risk of breast cancer. The American Cancer Society recommends eating mostly vegetables, fruits, and whole grains, and less red meat , less processed meat , and fewer sweets. A healthy diet can help reduce the risk of heart disease, diabetes, stroke, and certain cancer types.

A healthy diet can also help you get to and stay at a healthy weight. Overweight and obesity increase the risk for getting breast cancer. Whats less clear is the link between breast cancer risk and any one food type. Many studies about foods and breast cancer risk have had different results, but no clear-cut answers. Here is what the evidence tells us about fat, vitamin supplements, soy, dairy, and sugar.

Read Also: Where Is Breast Cancer Most Common

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 EDT, 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.

Breast Cancer Diet And Recurrence: Top Four Myths Dispelled

Cheese from hormone

We explore the main breast cancer diet myths around recurrence with a NHS dietitian Penny Klebe.

Diets recommended on the internet or in the media are not always based on good quality research. Make sure you check the facts thoroughly before following alternative and restrictive diets, as they could cause more harm than good. If youre unsure, you can ask your GP to be referred to a dietitian. You can also find tips on healthy eating and living well after breast cancer in BECCA, Breast Cancer Care’s free app.

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Drinking Milk Or Some Related Factor

Fraser, the lead author of the current study, said in a statement that the results provide “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.”

That ‘other’ factor is probably complicated, but may be related to what humans have done to cows. To increase milk production, humans have bred cows to have higher levels of insulin-like growth factor, which in turn has been linked to some cancers, including breast cancer.

Sex hormones in cow’s milk may also be involved. About 75% of a dairy herd is pregnant and the cows are by definition lactating. So the milk they produce may have higher levels of progestins and estrogens, which may play a role in hormone-responsive breast cancer.

Other factors that researchers did not measure in this study, such as poverty and the income of participants, may be at play.

But to know what’s really going on, all agree that more research is needed.

“The overall evidence so far has not shown a clear increase or decrease in risk of breast cancer with higher milk intake. Thus, this topic needs further examination,” Willett said.

Int J Epidemiol. Published online February 25, 2020. Abstract

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What About Other Cancer Types

There is no strong evidence linking dairy products to any other types of cancer. Some studies suggest theres a link between eating and drinking large amounts of dairy and increased prostate cancer risk – but evidence for this is limited. We need further research to find out more about the potential link between dairy products and prostate cancer risk.

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Dairy Products And Breast Cancer Risk: What To Know

  • New research from Loma Linda University School of Public Health concludes daily consumption of dairy milk can increase breast cancer risk.
  • The researchers said they didnt find any increased risk for cheese or yogurt.
  • Other experts point out that previous studies have arrived at different conclusions.
  • The experts say moderation is key when it comes to consuming dairy products.

Do dairy products, particularly milk, increase the risk of breast cancer?

It might depend on the research youre reading.

A new study suggests that drinking dairy milk daily, even in small amounts, can increase your risk of getting breast cancer as much as 80 percent.

The findings from a team of researchers at Loma Linda University School of Public Health in Southern California were recently published in the International Journal of Epidemiology.

We found that at relatively low doses of dairy milk, less than a cup a day, there was a steep rise in the risk of breast cancer said Gary E. Fraser, MBChB, PhD, a professor in the School of Public Health and Medicine at Loma Linda University and the studys lead author.

At a cup a day, we were seeing more than a 50 percent increase in risk, Fraser told Healthline. At 2 to 3 cups per day, the risk increased 70 percent to 80 percent.

The researchers analyzed nearly 8 years of data from 52,795 women in North America.

Their median age was 57 and about a third of them were black women.

The women answered questionnaires about their food intake.

Fda Urged To Put Cancer Warnings On Cheese

Foods That Cause Cancer – MedStar Health Cancer Network

The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine is urging the U.S. Food and Drug Administration to place breast cancer warnings on cheese.

PCRM says it combines the clout and expertise of more than 12,000 physicians with the dedicated actions of more than 175,00 members.

The organization is pushing for cheese products to have warning labels similar to those on cigarette packets. It has sent a petition on the subject to the FDA, signed by its president Neal Barnard, MD.

PCRM gives an example of a warning in the petition. It suggests, dairy cheese contains reproductive hormones that may increase breast cancer mortality risk.

Breast cancer is among the most common causes of death in women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. PCRM submitted its petition on October 3, at the beginning of Breast Cancer Awareness Month.

Instead of cheese manufacturers like Kraft slapping a pink ribbon on products like Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Macaroni & Cheese, as they have done during previous Breast Cancer Awareness Months, they should be adding warning labels, said Barnard in a statement. We want women to be aware that dairy cheese could put them at risk of dying from breast cancer.

Studies have linked cheese consumption with a higher risk of breast cancer.

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Does Cheese Consumption Cause Breast Cancer A Research Study Revealed

Anusha Sathish Published Date : Oct 16, 2019 11:50 IST

Health News

Does cheese consumption cause breast cancer?? A research study revealed: The doctors, the members of the non-profit physicians committee, have petitioned to Food and Drugs Administration body, the USA to put a warning label in all cheese products as the consumption causes breast cancer among women.

The cheese products contain hormones which increase the risk of breast cancer. The “Centre for Disease Control” has statistically estimated that around 41,487 women died of breast cancer in 2016.

The estrogen in the dairy products are increasing breast cancer mortality. A 2013 research study endorsed that higher-level high-fat dairy consumption led to 49% mortality.

“The manufacturers of Cheese are expected to add a warning sign in the cheese products. During previous years breast cancer awareness months, the manufacturers have just slapped the pink ribbons which does not suffice the need,” said Dr. Neal Barnard, the President of PCRM and the author of “The Cheese Trap” and “Your Body in Balance”.

There are other researches about Cheese which associate cheese with health benefits such as the lower risk of heart disease and lower risk of type 2 diabetes. In safe roads everybody, if used with a balanced diet.

What Does This Mean For Me

Avoiding dairy milk is unlikely to protect you from breast cancer. In this study, the link between drinking dairy milk and increased breast cancer risk was quite small. About 1 to 2 women in 100 who drank no milk at all got breast cancer compared to 3 to 4 in 100 women who drank a daily glass or two of milk.

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This article is relevant for:

Women who consume dairy or soy

This article is also relevant for:

Healthy people with average cancer risk

Women under 45

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But Cheese Can Still Be Part Of A Healthy Diet

Low-fat dairy products may actually have health benefits, the petition notes, citing research that general dairy consumption is linked to a lower risk of cancer overall. Some eating patterns that include cheese like the Mediterranean diet are widely believed to be some of the healthiest in the world.

Even full-fat cheese can be completely safe in moderation, said nutritionist Keri Gans.

Read more:Eating cheese may be associated with a lower risk of death and scientists are zeroing in on why it might be a better choice than milk

“There is no danger in cheese,” Gans said. “We can’t blame anything on one particular food, as much as we might like to. We need to look at a person’s total diet.”

She was skeptical of the research on hormones linked to breast cancer in cheese, explaining that the study had too many variables to conclusively point to cheese as the cause of cancer risks without controlling for other lifestyle and dietary factors.

“I’m not convinced and I’m not sure the consumer should be either,” she said.

Cheese does contain a lot of saturated fat, which is linked to heart disease risk, Gans added. But in that regard, moderation is key most people will be just fine enjoying a serving of cheese, even every day, she said. More than two servings per day, over a long period time, may mean you’re getting too much saturated fat, however.

“Cheese can definitely be part of a person’s well-balanced diet,” Gans said. “The key word is ‘part.'”

Read more:

Doctors Against Dairy: Cheese Linked To Breast Cancer Risk

Does Dairy Cause or Prevent Cancer? An Objective Look

Petition signed by 12,000 American doctors calls on FDA to require warning labels on cheeses

In one of the more startling developments in food science, 12,000 doctors in the United States are petitioning for warning labels on cheese. Dairy cheese contains reproductive hormones that may increase breast cancer mortality risk, they warned.

What, is cheddar the new cigarette? No. Casein and estrogen are not nicotine and nobodys about to blotch Brie with a label saying Eating this kills.

It is not suggested that eating cheese causes breast cancer. It isnt even categorically proven that eating cheese really is associated with higher breast cancer rates, or that eating cheese causes higher mortality rates among women who already developed breast cancer. There are a lot of studies but the methodology is hardly uniform or even necessarily reliable, and there are innumerable parameters, including some that may be overriding. Like smoking, or living in nuclear waste. Those are parameters that tend to outweigh other parameters.

But the associations found so far are compelling enough for the doctors to choose to speak up.

A womans risk of developing breast cancer is 12.8 percent, or one in eight, in the United States. For men, its 0.13 percent, or just over one in a hundred.

The citizen petition was organized by the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.

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How Much Dairy Should I Eat Or Drink

Milk and dairy are good sources of calcium and protein. Having some dairy or dairy alternatives is recommended in the NHS Eatwell Guide, as part of a healthy, balanced diet.

Not everyone can eat dairy and some people choose not to. Dairy alternatives such as calcium-fortified soya versions of milk, cheese and yoghurt, are also good sources of calcium. Try to have low-sugar and reduced-fat versions of dairy or dairy-alternatives.

Fish with bones, nuts and green, leafy vegetables are also sources of calcium.

Government guidelines recommend that adults aged 19 to 64 have 700mg of calcium a day. For more information on recommended calcium intake and dairy portion sizes, see the British Dietetic Association calcium fact sheet.

Breast Cancer: Is Milk A Risk Factor

Breast cancer has now overtaken lung cancer as the worlds most commonly diagnosed cancer, and as the leading cause of cancer-related deaths for women in many countries.

While genetics can certainly increase risk of the disease, for most women lifestyle factors, such as alcohol or being overweight or obese, are bigger influences on developing breast cancer. Now, two separate studies, both published in 2020, have identified cows milk as another possible risk factor for breast cancer.

The first study, which looked at 33 780 Swedish women since 1997, found that about 300 millilitres of cows milk per day increased breast cancer risk by about a third compared to women who did not drink milk.

The second study, from the US, looked at 52 795 over a period of nearly eight years and found that women who drank about 300 millilitres of milk per day had a 50% increased risk for breast cancer compared with those who drank very little milk.

Both studies found that the risk was mostly limited to post-menopausal women who developed a type of breast cancer stimulated by oestrogen, called oestrogen-receptor positive breast cancer.

There was no increased risk of other types of breast cancer which rely on other growth factors .

But because of their design, the studies could only conclude that there was an association between milk consumption and breast cancer they could not prove that drinking milk caused cancer.

Other risk factors

R75 per month

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Should I Be Worried About Casein And Hormones In Milk

Casein is the main protein in milk. There is no strong evidence to show this causes cancer in humans.

Although dairy products contain hormones, this is very small compared to the amount produced naturally by the body. There is no strong evidence to show that hormones in milk could go on to cause cancer.

In some countries, a hormone called bovine somatotrophin is used to speed up or increase the production of milk or meat. In the UK and the rest of Europe, farmers are banned from using this hormone. But this ban is on animal welfare grounds, not because there is any proven effect on human health.

The Food Standards Agency regulates the content of dairy products, including milk. This set of standards makes sure these products are safe to eat and drink.

Study: Do Ice Cream And Cheese Up Risk For Breast Cancer Mortality

MEAT AND DAIRY CAUSE CANCER – Dr T. Colin Campbell’s “The China Study” | LIVEKINDLY
Alice RD

Dairy foods like ice cream, regular cheese and whole milk are high in fat and saturated fat, linked to an increased risk for heart disease. There is little evidence that total dietary fat affects cancer risk, but it is less clear whether specific high fat foods or types of fats affect cancer risk.

Now, a new study published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute suggests that, for breast cancer survivors, consuming high fat dairy foods may be related to an increased risk of breast cancer mortality.

The researchers followed 1893 women diagnosed with early-stage invasive breast cancer who were enrolled in the Life After Cancer Epidemiology study. The participants completed food frequency questionnaires, including how much dairy they consumed, when they entered the study and in 6 year follow-up surveys. In this study median follow-up was 11.8 years.

In the study, women who consumed the most high-fat dairy foods had a 49 per cent increased risk of dying from breast cancer compared to those who consumed the least amount of high-fat dairy . The researchers adjusted for many factors including smoking, BMI, physical activity, age, cancer stage, and meat, fiber and alcohol consumption.

Low-fat dairy and overall dairy intake did not link to breast cancer recurrence or breast cancer survival.

If you dont include dairy in your diet, good substitutes include calcium and vitamin D fortified plant-based milks and related products, like soy milk or almond milk.

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