October 9, 2001 (The Fort Worth Star-Telegram) - Women who drink milk daily are less likely to develop breast cancer than those who drink little or no milk, a new study, published last month in the International Journal of Cancer, found.
The six-year study out of Norway followed 48,844 premenopausal women ages 34 to 39. It found that women who drank milk as children and who currently drink at least three glasses a day have half the rate of breast cancer when compared with women who do not drink milk.
After adjusting for age, reproductive and hormonal factors, body mass index, education, physical activity and alcohol consumption, milk was shown to be a factor in reducing the incidence of breast cancer.
Scientists at the National Cancer Institute, which funded the study, say more research is needed to determine how milk works to reduce the risk. Possible anti-cancer factors found in milk include calcium, vitamin D and CLA (conjugated linoleic acid). A recent Finnish study found that women with breast cancer had significantly lower levels of CLA in their diets and blood, compared with women without breast cancer. CLA has been shown to block the local growth and spread of breast cancer in animal studies.
Copyright 2001 The Fort Worth Star-Telegram. All rights reserved.
