Dairy and Cancer:
A Connection That Not Even Organic Dairy Can Avoid
By Maribeth Abrams, MS, CNC
T
he average American consumes about 600 pounds of dairy products per year – more than almost any country in the entire world. Considering the fact that we consume so many dairy products, it’s no surprise that health-minded people are shifting toward organic versions of the popular creamy foods. After all, the research is clear – conventionally-produced dairy contains pesticides, herbicides and bovine growth hormone, all of which are associated with increased risk for certain cancers. But will shifting toward organic forms of dairy help prevent cancer – or does the consumption of organic dairy maintain its share of risk on human health? Let’s take a look.
Hormones designed to grow a 300 pound animal Look closely at your container of organic milk and you will see the phrase “no hormones added.” It’s true that organic dairy cows are not injected with growth hormones. However, organic milk contains loads of naturally-occurring hormones and growth factors – 39 to be exact.
How can this be? Well, think about it. The purpose of all mammalian milk is to rapidly grow a baby. For example, human breast-milk is designed to double an infant’s weight in one year. Cow’s milk is designed to grow a 40 pound calf into a 300 pound cow or steer in one year – that’s multiplying a calf’s weight by nearly eight in just one year! Indeed, the ideal ratio of fat, carbohydrate and protein exists in each mammal’s milk to properly grow its offspring. However, in addition to these macronutrients, an entire host of growth hormones and growth factors are also present to ensure that growth.
Insulin-Like Growth Factor (IGF-1) One of these growth factors is called
IGF-1, and both humans and cows naturally produce it. However, it is found in much higher levels in cows and therefore in cows’ milk. IGF-1 stimulates cell division, is naturally high during the years of puberty (e.g. female breast growth), then tapers off as we age. Research shows that IGF-1 is required for tumor formation, accelerates malignant cell growth, and accelerates the ability of cancer cells to spread to other organs. And not surprisingly, studies also show that consumption of whole, reduced-fat, and skim milk raise IGF-1 levels in adults. As mentioned, there is a direct association between the consumption of dairy and one’s level of IGF-1. To take it a step further, there is also a direct correlation between one’s IGF-1 level and the diagnosis of breast cancer and prostate cancer. Just how much of an association? One study conducted by Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Harvard Medical School found that post-menopausal women with the highest levels of IGF-1 had three times the risk of breast cancer as those with the lowest levels. This same study also found that premenopausal women with the highest levels
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