milk and hormone positive breast cancer

Lorie

I've read some about alleged studies that just came out citing 20-80% of people who drank any kind of milk (whole, skim, low fat) were prone to get breast cancer . Does anybody have any trusted information on this.

legaljen1969

That's a really big spectrum of probability. I will definitely have to do some fact finding on that. I know there are lots of people who don't believe we should be drinking any animal milk of any kind once our childhood breastfeeding days are over. None of my doctors have ever told me I should not be drinking milk- not my oncologist, not my surgeon, not my primary care doctor. I was asked if I consumed dairy products when I had my bone density scan. I told them I did and no-one said to stop.

Bengal

That's interesting to say the least. I was actually encouraged to incorporate more low fat dairy into my diet because of the whole bone density is affected by chemo/ radiation issue. Hmmmmm.

JaneA

I've seen that study, and I believe that it was something like in postmenopausal women. However, I believe that it's just one study. My oncologist's special interest is breast cancer - I am a Stage IV rectal cancer survivor and she tracks me because her other special interest is survivorship. She has never mentioned milk consumption. I don't think that it's something we women should be particularly worried about.

MarcieB

Gee. I would like to know if there is any truth to this because I drink half&half in my coffee, and have for years. It is my one indulgence - but, I should also mention I drink a LOT of coffee (no sugar). When I was going through chemo my husband made me smoothies with whey protein and fruit and milk. My doctor told him to use whole milk because I needed it. She also told me to consume dairy for my bones once I began arimadex to inhibit estrogen - so this theory is pretty unsettling?

GregP_WN

I'm not a brest cancer but after my 3rd diagnosis I was told to drink more milk. I can't remember the reason why, but since then I've drank a gallon a week.

Dltmoll

It looks like several studies were done in the past that were fairly inconclusive https://nutritionovereasy.com/2008/10/china-study-does-dairy-cause-cancer/
The latest I saw was this -
https://www.aarp.org/health/conditions-treatments/info-2020/milk-breast-cancer-link-study.html
but again so many variables that I'm not sure anything has been proven.

ChildOfGod4570

Now, that's a new one on me. I was raised drinking low fat milk, and nobody ever mentioned my milk consumption during cancer treatment or post treatment. I am diagnosed with osteopenia ... probably due to chemo and radiation, and I would think they'd want me to take plenty of dairy to protect my bones. I know that the meds to restore bones when you get osteoporosis do have a tendency to attack your jaw. So what are we supposed to do if they don't want us drinking milk and we have bone issues on top of that? I think I would want my doctor to let me know if I should change my milk consumption. HUGS and God bless.

banditwalker

Like everyone else is saying, there are a lot of variables with these studies. My thought is, if it has hormones in it, don't eat it.

fiddler

I’m glad you opened this topic. I’ve always wondered - when i think about milk and cheese the idea pops into my head that, gee, they have to feed cows hormones to keep them lactating, and with all the fungus, fertilizer, etc. in the grain that they eat - and that they are not pastured, wel, it feels like a deadly set up to me. Perhaps, though, it’s my conspiracy theory mind at work though. I’d like to know the answer if its out there!

ChicagoSandy

Studies are pretty much inconclusive unless they're prospective and double-blinded, which by definition excludes "epidemiological studies"--since they are retrospective and often corrupted by patients' self-reporting (who often lie about behaviors to make themselves seem more health-conscious than they really are). Coincidence is not correlation is not causation.

Tha being said, my PCP and MO both said that whole dairy is fine (lowfat & skim are relatively higher in sugar), and my MO said to go for organic whenever I can find it to avoid hormones that might have an endocrine-disruptor effect. Dairy (especially bovine) is harmful for the lactose-intolerant, though--which can be as high as 25% of the population and nearly 100% of certain ethnic groups. Lactose intolerance in adults is actually evolutionary, since no human over age 2 actually *needs* dairy (not even breast milk).

LiveWithCancer

I believe Braum's advertises their milk as being hormone-free (maybe not all hormones ... I'm no expert on milk or hormones). It is more expensive, by quite a bit, than what you get at the grocery store, but I presume it may be a little healthier. I don't like milk as a beverage so only use it if I am making something really healthy, like cream gravy to go with chicken fried steak or fried chicken (and at that point, I am obviously not thinking of what's healthy to eat). We usually end up tossing most of a gallon of milk because it goes bad long before we use it all.

About the study you saw ... I would scoff at any study that had a range of 20 - 80%. Huh???? In my own opinion, that's a ridiculously large range and one I would not personally take seriously. (With all of that said, my cancer is not one that is driven by hormones so maybe I can afford to be more lackadaisical than some can be.)

Lorie

Thank you all for the interesting input. Yes Marcie, that was conflicting advice. I was concerned about added hormones and then I read this yesterday.

When a cow is milked, its producing the various hormones within the cow and they stay at required levels.

No more cows milk for me.

andreacha

I only use 2% in my one cup a day of my decaf coffee. Occasionally, I'll make a Smoothie or Tapioca with it. I use Half and Half when I make Bread Pudding. Like you, Greg, my niece will drink a gallon of milk a week, sometimes more. She had RCC like me but thankfully no breast cancer. She retired recently after 40 years of nursing. When she's here to visit I always make sure I've got whole milk in the house for her. She coughs for 20 minutes after drinking a glass and swears she's not lactose intolerant!

ChicagoSandy

Coughing is not a symptom of lactose intolerance. It's a symptom of increased mucus production. Lactose intolerance manifests as digestive: abdominal cramping, nausea, diarrhea. Ironically, if there's any question as to whether one is lactose intolerant, the touchstone is what makes the distress worse: whole or skim dairy. Skim contains much more lactose, without fat as a buffer. If it's worse when you consume skim, it's lactose intolerance. If it's worse when you consume full-fat dairy, it's likely gall bladder or liver disease, or exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. My husband (a cardiologist) got violent cramping after eating a Ben & Jerry's "Peace Pop" outdoors on a very hot day. He suspected he was lactose intolerant (not likely, given his ethnicity). So I suggested that once he felt better, he try a few sips of skim milk. He did the next morning, and nothing happened. He later found out he'd had a gallstone.

fiddler

ChicagoSandy - another possibility.
In the mid-1950s a group of us kids went to the history/industry museum in Chicago. I got sweaty from running through the corridors. To slake my thirst, I drank very cold water from a fountain and wound up with severe stomach cramps and went to the nurse's station in the museum. The nurse said it was very cold water on an overheated body part, and she advised to take cold things a sip at a time.

fiddler

Lorie - human females produce hormones in the milk, also. I found out one day that when a baby nurses, a tiny bit of saliva is taken up in the breast and the mother's body reads the saliva and produces whatever antibodies the baby needs at the time. How perfect is this world in so many ways!

Lorie

Fiddler, Yes, My thin, fine hair actually was nice when PG. Grew Bra size too:) . Interesting about the saliva too. But, at this stage of life with the C, think milk has served its purpose. Oatmilk tastes better anyway.

ChicagoSandy

I like oatmilk, but it's way too "carby" for me--per my weight-management nurse practitioner. I usually mix an organic ultra-filtered (even lower-carb than Fair Life) milk with unsweetened vanilla almondmilk (Blue Diamond). The latter is the only plant milk that froths up reliably in a Nespresso Aeroccino. (I use milks for cappuccinos & lattes, sometimes on grain-free and keto "cereals"). I do keep oatmilk on hand for a latte-loving friend who thinks almond milk is eco-unfriendly (and is convinced it uses so much water that it's helped cause CA's fires); but since the pandemic she hasn't been over, of course.