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Dairy products contain traces of estrogens from cows, and as milk is converted to cheese, the estrogens are more concentrated. While they are only traces, they appear to be biologically active in humans, increasing breast cancer mortality.
“Dairy cheese contains reproductive hormones that may increase breast
cancer mortality risk.” That’s the warning label the Physicians Committee
for Responsible Medicine—a nonprofit with more than 12,000 doctor members—is
petitioning the Food and Drug Administration to require cheese manufacturers
to prominently display on all dairy cheese products. The petition is being
submitted on Oct. 3, as Breast Cancer Awareness Month begins.
Dairy products contain traces of estrogens from cows, and as milk is
converted to cheese, the estrogens are more concentrated. While they are
only traces, they appear to be biologically active in humans, increasing
breast cancer mortality.
The Life After Cancer Epidemiology study found that, among women previously
diagnosed with breast cancer, those consuming one or more servings of
high-fat dairy products (e.g., cheese, ice cream, whole milk) daily had a 49
percent higher breast cancer mortality, compared with those consuming less
than one-half serving daily.
“Instead of cheese manufacturers like Kraft slapping a pink ribbon on
products like Philadelphia Cream Cheese and Macaroni & Cheese, as they have
done during previous Breast Cancer Awareness Months, they should be adding
warning labels,” says Physicians Committee president Neal Barnard, MD,
author of The Cheese Trap and Your Body in Balance. “We want women to be
aware that dairy cheese could put them at risk of dying from breast cancer.”
The petition cites several studies linking consumption of cheese and other
high-fat dairy products to increased risk of breast cancer.
A 2017 study funded by the National Cancer Institute that compared the diets
of women diagnosed with breast cancer to those without breast cancer and
found that those who consumed the most American, cheddar, and cream cheeses
had a 53 percent increased risk for breast cancer. The authors say that
components in dairy such as insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and other
growth hormones may be among the reasons for the increased risk for cancer.
According to the Centers for Disease Control, breast cancer is among the
most common causes of death in women. In 2016, the latest year for which
incidence data are available, 245,299 new cases of female breast cancer were
reported, and 41,487 women died of breast cancer in the United States.
“To ensure that Americans understand the potential significant risks, and
resulting long-term costs, of consuming dairy cheese products, the FDA
should ensure that the notice above is prominently placed on product
packaging and labeling for all dairy cheese products,” says the petition.
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