Two New Studies Sour Milk's Image
One Study Confirms Link with Ovarian Cancer; Second Disproves Dairy-
Weight Loss Claims
Washington, D.C.-Two recent studies are souring milk's image among
health authorities. One, published in the November issue of the
American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, shows that women who consume
two or more glasses of milk a day have twice the risk of a certain
form of ovarian cancer than those who rarely or never consume milk.
Headed by Susanna Larsson at the Karolinska Institute in Sweden,
researchers conducted a prospective study of more than 60,000 women
and concluded: "intakes of lactose and dairy products, particularly
milk, were significantly associated with the risk of serous ovarian
cancer." (Serous epithelial cancer is the most common type of ovarian
cancer.) http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/80/5/1353
The second study, presented last month at the North American
Association for the Study of Obesity Conference, shows that high
dairy consumption does not help dieters lose weight, refuting the
findings of an earlier and smaller study that the dairy industry has
aggressively publicized through major advertising campaigns,
including a prominent one featuring talk show host Dr. Phil. The new
study was conducted by Jean Harvey-Berino, Ph.D., a professor at the
University of Vermont.

The original study-which had seemed to suggest that dairy products
might help weight loss-had only 11 participants in the dairy group,
and required a 500-calorie per day diet deficit. Its findings do not
appear to hold, in light of the new study, which used a similar
method in a larger sample.

"Milk's biological purpose is to promote rapid growth in infant
cows," says Amy Joy Lanou, Ph.D. "It makes biological sense that its
nutrients and hormonal effects might also promote the growth of
cancer cells."

As to the Harvey-Berino study, Dr. Lanou says, "It reminds us that
the dairy industry's health claims are often based on thin scientific
evidence". Dr. Lanou's letter challenging the dairy industry's weight-
loss claims is scheduled for publication in the January issue of
Obesity Research.

The Swedish study is one of several published in the past few years
suggesting a link between dairy consumption and ovarian cancer. The
Iowa Women's Health Study of more than 29,000 postmenopausal women
showed that the highest consumers of lactose (milk sugar) had a 60
percent increased risk of ovarian cancer as compared to those who
consumed the least lactose.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&d
opt=Abstract&list_uids=9883790%20

In Harvard's Nurses' Health Study, each daily glass of low-fat or
skim milk was associated with a 20 percent increase in serous ovarian
cancers. Researchers hypothesize that galactose, a component of the
milk sugar lactose, may damage ovarian cells, making them more
susceptible to cancer.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/entrez/query.fcgi?cmd=Retrieve&db=pubmed&d
opt=Abstract&list_uids=15069693

quote:

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Originally posted by RobinBeBe:
Hmm I may have to try organic

I have read that in reality, humans were never meant to drink cow's milk, and that we are teh only species to drink milk from another species.

Robin

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That's not really true. My cats go wild over milk, yogurt and ice cream. I don't give it to them much, because it isn't really good for them, but when I sit down w/ yogurt or ice cream, they beg until I"m done. One in particular LOVES the stuff, so yes, other animals, given the opportunity will drink cow's milk.

Dawn

hmmm...I agree about trying to eat/drink organic dairy. I know I feel better drinking organic milk, and can taste the difference when I've, on occasion, had to get "regular". I honestly think that the pesticides/etc that are used in so many things really do make a diff in our health. I lose weight "better" when I really eat organic.

And for me, the dairy does seem to boost the weight loss. Its a noticable difference..when I have a cup of warm milk with honey before bed, regularly, I start shedding more pounds..

Catherine

Hmm I may have to try organic

I have read that in reality, humans were never meant to drink cow's milk, and that we are teh only species to drink milk from another species. The fact that so many are lactose intolerant I think points to this. Personally, I can't stand milk, unless it is in a latte

Robin

I drink about 2 serving of milk per day and am careful to have organic milk without howmones. It tastes better and I know that I feel better than before when I drank "regular" stuff.

I have tried to switch to soy and/or rice milk, but can't make the shift.

I can't help but wonder what the results would be if they had women drink only non-growth-hormone treated, non-estrogen-injected milk. A common practice to keep cows lactating is to inject them with estrogen, so that they essentially stay in "nursing" mode for their entire lives.

There's a huge difference in the taste of milk from smaller producers that use a minimum of chemical treatments on cows and the cheaper, more readily available stuff.

I'm supposed to be allergic to orange juice; however, I can drink small amounts of organic (not treated with pesticides) juice, while even a small bit of larger-brand stuff breaks me out in ugly hives. I'm convinced I'm sensitive to the pesticides, and allergic to the juice (too much of the organic stuff leads to hives, too).

I also wonder if drinking two or more glasses of milk a day keeps the participants from drinking as much water as they might normally, and if the lower pH of the blood that would result from a high calcium intake isn't offset by enough other liquids in the diet.

D

More info:

Reuters Health

Wednesday, November 17, 2004


NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Women drink two or more glasses of milk every day, or who have high amounts of older dairy products in their diet, appear to have a somewhat higher risk of one type of ovarian cancer, new research reports.

After following more than 60,000 women for an average of 13.5 years, Swedish researchers found that those who drank at least two glasses of milk every day or consumed at least four daily servings of dairy products were twice as likely to develop serous epithelial ovarian cancer as those who consumed less than two servings of dairy a day.

However, only 266 women developed ovarian cancer during the study period, making the risk of ovarian cancer - regardless of women's dairy preferences - very small.

Nevertheless, this study "provides evidence that high intakes of lactose and dairy products, especially milk, may increase the risk of serous ovarian cancer," the researchers write.

Serous epithelial cancer is a type of ovarian cancer that originates from the cells lining the outer surface of the ovary. Most cases of ovarian cancer originate from these cells.

Previous research has suggested that a diet rich in whole milk, yogurt and cheese may put women at higher risk of ovarian cancer. But the picture is far from clear, as other evidence suggests that women who drink skim or low-fat milk might have a lower risk of ovarian cancer.

To investigate the question further, Dr. Susanna C. Larsson of the Karolinska Institutet in Stockholm and her colleagues followed 61,084 women between the ages of 38 and 76 for an average of 13.5 years. Women kept a record of how often they consumed milk, yogurt, cheese, ice cream or butter.

None of the women had a history of cancer at the outset of the study, the authors note in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition.

Of the 266 women who developed invasive epithelial ovarian cancer during the study period, 125 were diagnosed with the serous type of the disease.

The researchers found that women that women who ate at least 4 servings of dairy products every day were had a slightly higher risk of all types of epithelial tumors, and twice the risk of developing serous tumors.

Just why extra dairy may increase ovarian cancer rates remains unclear, the authors note. One theory suggests it may be associated with lactose, a sugar found in dairy products. Lactose contains galactose, which research has shown may increase the risk of ovarian cancer.

"Continued research is warranted to further elucidate the association and mechanisms for the observed increased risk," Larsson and colleagues note.

SOURCE: American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, November 2004.