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News Alert Archives
Drinking Milk May Reduce the Risk of Breast Cancer
New Study Reveals Women who Regularly Drink Milk are Less Likely to Develop Breast Cancer
Chicago, Ill., September 27, 2001 - A new study published in the September 15th issue of the International Journal of Cancer found that women who drink milk on a daily basis are less likely to develop breast cancer than those who drink little or no milk.
Co-funded by the National Cancer Institute, the study found that women who drank milk as a child and who currently drink at least 3 glasses of milk had half the rate of breast cancer compared to women not drinking milk. In the six-year study, researchers followed 48,844 premenopausal women in Norway to examine the relationship between childhood and adult milk consumption and breast cancer incidence. After adjusting for age, reproductive and hormonal factors, body mass index, education, physical activity and alcohol consumption, milk consumption was shown to be a factor in reducing the incidence of breast cancer among the women aged 34 to 39.
"The results suggest that dietary components, including milk, may provide protection against breast cancer," said John Milner, Ph.D., chief of the Nutritional Science Research Group in the Division of Cancer Prevention at the National Cancer Institute. "This is very intriguing information because breast cancer is the most common cancer among females in the world and affects one in eight American women."
The researchers gathered data on childhood and adult milk consumption by mailing food frequency questionnaires to the participants. The information provided in the questionnaires was then linked to the Cancer Registry of Norway to identify the incidence of breast cancer cases.
"The results are consistent with other scientific evidence that has shown animal products, including milk, contain factors that may inhibit the cancer process," Milner explained. "Some of the possible anti-cancer factors found in milk and other animal products include calcium, vitamin D and CLA."
CLA or conjugated linoleic acid - which is found in milk fat -- has been gaining a lot of attention lately as a potential cancer prevention agent. A recent Finnish study found that women with breast cancer had significantly lower levels of CLA in their diets and blood compared to women without cancer. CLA has also been shown in previous studies to block the local growth and spread of breast cancer in animal studies.
The results of the Norwegian Women and Cancer Study are in line with earlier research results showing the protective effect of milk on breast cancer. A study published in the British Journal of Cancer in 1996 showed that the women who consumed the most milk had less than half the risk of breast cancer compared to women consuming the least milk.
"Good health starts with dairy," said Greg Miller, Ph.D., F.A.C.N., executive vice president of nutrition and scientific affairs for the National Dairy Council. "Eat more lowfat dairy foods to better manage your weight and help reduce your risk for high blood pressure, osteoporosis and certain cancers. The list keeps growing with each new study demonstrating the potential disease-fighting properties of milk and Milk Group foods."
Researchers at the National Cancer Institute note that more research is needed to determine how milk may work to reduce the risk of developing breast cancer or other cancers. But for now, it appears as if milk may be one part of a well-balanced diet that is a force in the battle against breast cancer.
Source: Hjartaker, A., Laake, P. and Lund, E. Childhood and adult milk consumption and risk of premenopausal breast cancer in a cohort of 48,844 women - the Norwegian women and cancer study. International Journal of Cancer . 2001; 93: 888-893.
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