Articles
Dairy Products Raise Prostate And Breast Cancer Risk
Millions of American women suffer from breast cancer. It is the leading cause
of death for women ages 40 to 55. Yet, in China and other countries that do not
consume much milk or other dairy products, breast cancer rates are much, much
lower. Prostate cancer, which affects one in six men in the U.S., affects less
than one in 100,000 in China. In our country, most milk is gotten from breeds of
cows that have been selectively bred over the centuries to be heavy
milk-producers, thus their milk has high concentrations of growth hormones. One
of these hormones, called IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor –1) is found in high
concentrations in the blood of women who suffer from breast cancer and men who
suffer from prostate cancer.
Among women younger than 50, having high IGF-1 levels raises breast cancer risk
by seven times Lancet 351(1998), 1393-96.
A British study found low death rates for breast cancer where dairy product
consumption was low, even when intake of other fats was high. British Journal of
Cancer 24(1970), 633-43. Eliminating dairy products and the meat of these cows
from the human diet lowers IGF-1 levels significantly. British Journal of
Cancer 83(1) (2000) 95-97; Science 279 (1998), 563-6.
Is Dairy Necessary for Building Strong Bones?
The answer to this question is a definite NO! The Harvard University Nurses’ Health Study, with over 120,000 subjects, found that the consumption of milk does not protect against hip or forearm fractures. Those who drank 3 or more servings of milk a day actually had a slightly higher rate of fractures than women who drank little or no milk. (American Journal of Public Health 87 (1997) 992-997).
There is adequate calcium and other minerals needed for bone growth in green
leafy vegetables, beans, nuts, seeds, and even fruits like oranges.
Milk Also Raises Ovarian Cancer Risk
A study, published in 2004 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, followed more than 60,000 women, and found that “drinking more than two glasses of milk a day significantly upped the risk of the most serious form of ovarian cancer.” The article stated that “dairy products have previously been linked to cancers, including those of the breast and prostate, and now it is found that women who consume more than four servings of dairy products a day have twice the risk of serous ovarian cancer than women who have fewer than two servings.
Note: The links to cancer are attributed to the protein and other non-fat parts of the milk … so using low-fat dairy products and skim milk does not lower the risk.
For more information see The China Study by Dr. T. Colin Campbell (www.thechinastudy.com)
or any of the books on breast cancer, prostate cancer, and osteoporosis by Dr.
Jane A. Plant. (www.janeplant.com).
