Deadly white stuff
Cow’s milk link with breast cancer revealed
Drinking even small amounts of cow’s milk can increase your risk of breast cancer, according to new research from Loma Linda University, California. Researchers followed 53,000 cancer-free women, with an average age of 57, over eight years, during which time there were over 1,000 new breast cancer cases. They found that drinking as little as a quarter to a third of a cup of dairy milk per day was linked to a 30 per cent increased risk of breast cancer. One cup a day increased the risk by 50 per cent and two to three cups a day were linked to a 70-80 per cent higher risk. It made no difference if it was full-fat or low-fat milk. Lead author, Dr Gary Fraser, says the increased risk may have something to do with the sex hormone content of dairy milk. No such association was found between soya and breast cancer, in fact, soya foods show a protective effect.
Fraser GE, Jaceldo-Siegl K, Orlich M et al. 2020. Dairy, soy, and risk of breast cancer: those confounded milks. International Journal of Epidemiology. [published online ahead of print].
About the author
Dr. Justine Butler
Justine joined Viva! in 2005 after graduating from Bristol University with a PhD in molecular biology. After working as a campaigner, then researcher and writer, she is now Viva!’s head of research and her work focuses on animals, the environment and health. Justine’s scientific training helps her research and write both in-depth scientific reports, such as White Lies and the Meat Report, as well as easy-to-read factsheets and myth-busting articles for consumer magazines and updates on the latest research. Justine also recently wrote the Vegan for the Planet guide for Viva!’s Vegan Now campaign.
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