A glass of milk is good for everyone, it used to be said, but now it turns out that milk is not so good at all. Recent research has shown that a glass of milk can significantly increase the risk of breast cancer.
Research published in the International Journey of Epidemiology shows strong evidence that a glass of cow's milk may be linked to an increased risk of breast cancer. In some cases, that chance can even be increased by 80 percent.
Researcher Dr. Gary E. Fraser:“Even drinking a quarter or a third of a glass of milk can increase the risk of breast cancer by 30 percent. Drinking a glass of milk a day increases the chance by 50 percent, and for those who drink two to three glasses of milk a day, the chance is 70 to 80 percent higher.”
Over an eight-year period, the study followed some 53,000 North American women aged 30 and older, all of whom did not have cancer. At the end of the study, 1,057 women were diagnosed with breast cancer.
According to the researchers, it is due to the sex hormone in the milk, because 75 percent of the cows that are milked are pregnant.
No association was found between soy milk and an increased risk of breast cancer.
Source:sciencedaily
The above article was previously published in Santé and is merely a reference to a study such as that published in Science Daily. It is therefore not a hard conclusion, but as with many scientific research a temporary conclusion, on the way to hopefully more insight into the development and treatment of breast cancer. When we published the article on Facebook, fact checkers from Knack submitted the article to a Flemish scientist. We will also post the result of this here.
“In the article in Santé to which the post links, it is stated that recent research has shown that drinking a glass of cow's milk a day increases the risk of breast cancer by 50 percent. It is a study conducted by Loma Linda University in California and published on February 25, 2020 in the International Journal of Epidemiology.
“Even drinking a quarter or a third of a glass of milk can increase the risk of breast cancer by 30 percent. Drinking a glass of milk a day increases the chance by 50 percent, and for those who drink two to three glasses of milk a day, the chance is 70 to 80 percent higher," quotes Santé one of the researchers.
Very interesting
According to Professor Johan Verhaeghe, head of the gynecology and obstetrics clinic at UZ Leuven, the consensus until before the publication of this study was that milk intake has no significant influence on breast cancer risk. “That was also the conclusion of a 2018-2019 meta-analysis, which examined eight previous studies.”
Professor Verhaeghe thinks the study that Santé “Extremely interesting,” he says over the phone, for two reasons. First, because it was conducted on a fairly large population—nearly 53,000 American women who were followed for 8 years. Second, because those women were recruited into the Adventist community, a Protestant denomination. In that community, 8 percent do not consume cow's milk, 42 percent consume relatively little cow's milk, and 50 use as much cow's milk as other Americans. 'You very rarely find those large differences in milk intake in other populations, certainly not in Europe, where the differences in milk intake are much smaller,' says Professor Verhaeghe.
On the other hand, emphasizes Verhaeghe, the findings of this observational study will have to be confirmed on the basis of randomized trials. This is research in which a control group is used. ‘There can always be differences that researchers cannot filter out in an observational study. For example, people who choose not to use dairy products may also exhibit different behavior in other areas. We must therefore remain cautious and never draw conclusions based on a single study.'
Verhaeghe also wonders why the study was not published 'higher'. By this he means:in a journal with even more impact than the International Journal of Epidemiology † Only the authors of the study and the editors of the scientific journals can answer that question. Is there resistance to a new way of thinking, or are there analytical gaps in the study?'
Weaknesses
Professor of gynecology and head of the menopause and breast clinic at UZ Gent Herman Depypere seems to be based on the latter hypothesis. "This is not a randomized study, but an observational study that shows quite a few weaknesses," he said via email. “Important factors such as weight and amount of exercise are not described in the article. The researchers refer to appendices for this. I've gone through that, and it turns out that there isn't really any weight adjustment. People with an extreme body mass index (BMI) of less than 14 or more than 60 are excluded from the study, but people with a BMI of more than 30 have already seen a doubling of the number of breast cancers. With a BMI of 45 you can already assume an increase in the number of breast cancers of 200 percent or more.'
'Now suppose that women who are not concerned with their health and who do not exercise much drink more milk than women who are health-conscious – consume more soy, exercise more, are less obese, eat less fat, drink less alcohol and smoke less, all factors that reduce the risk of breast cancer – then all these factors play such an important role that the differences in milk intake are negated', says Professor Depypere. 'I miss the corrections for all those risk factors in this study'. Depypere therefore sees no reason to assume that milk would increase the risk of breast cancer.
Not yet proven
According to experts, based on this study, it has not yet been proven that milk increases the risk of breast cancer. "In any case, one observational study, however interesting, is not enough to adjust the guidelines related to milk consumption," says Professor Verhaeghe. Another study may prove otherwise. But no doubt it has been noted. If the data are confirmed in further observational studies, and preferably also in a randomized setting – which will not be easy for this type of long-term research – then the government will undoubtedly take this into account in the next adjustment of the advice. The future will tell.'
In the meantime, according to Verhaeghe, the advice remains:'Enjoy in moderation, even when it comes to milk. We have known for a long time that factors such as obesity, too much alcohol and too little exercise are important risk factors for breast cancer. Those who exercise regularly, are economical with alcohol and keep their weight under control, do not have to worry about a glass of milk.'
Conclusion
An article from Santé magazine states that a glass of milk a day increases the risk of breast cancer by 50 percent. That claim is based on a single study, which also has a number of weaknesses. More research is needed to confirm the results of this study. We therefore consider that there is no evidence . for the time being is for the claim.”
Source:Knack
