Milk might lose its wholesome reputation
Tuesday, May 16, 2006 11:28 PM PDT
By Cathy Zimmerman
Printable version
E-mail this articleMilk. Could it be possible that it does a body bad?
The dairy wars are nothing new, but according to proponents of a cancer-fighting diet, even skim milk and nonfat yogurt may foster the growth of some cancers.
The topic of milk was on the table during the third installment of an eight-session class on foods that fight cancer at Wild Oats in Portland.
"There is a large body of evidence that dairy products do more harm than good," said Dr. Amy Lanou in a video presentation before the class got cooking.
Lanou, a nutrition scientist and professor of health and wellness at the University of North Carolina at Asheville, is on the advisory board of the Cancer Project, a nonprofit group of physicians, naturopaths and educators.
Whole milk, full of lactose sugar and unsaturated fats, "is the number-one source of fat in children's diets," Lanou said in the video.
Other mammals quit drinking milk after infancy, but not humans, who started drinking cows' milk in northern Europe about 1,000 years ago, according to material from The Cancer Project.
The proteins, fat and sugar in milk promote fast growth, as well as dozens of hormones that nourish infant development. But that's mother's milk. And babies drinking it.
"After weaning, children no longer need milk," Lanou said. "Milk is too rich for an adult body."
It's not just the fat that's a problem. She said studies have implicated milk in our country's high rates of diabetes, allergies and cancer.
A quarter of Americans do not digest milk well, especially those of African, Latin and Asian descent, Lanou said. "Lactose intolerance causes stomach aches, constipation and diarrhea," she said.
"If you are allergic, try not consuming dairy products for at least 30 days. They seem to encourage allergic reactions."
Some of the most interesting information from the class, however, linked milk and cancer, especially prostate cancer.
In "The Survivor's Handbook: Eating right for cancer survival," the third chapter is about dairy alternatives. Here's how it starts:
Most Americans and Europeans grow up with the idea that milk is a healthful beverage, and the dairy industry has certainly done its best to promote that idea. However, researchers seeking to understand why people following Western diets tend to have higher cancer rates have begun to point a finger of blame not only at meat and other fatty foods, but also at dairy products.
"When humans drink cow's milk, it causes some worrisome biological changes in the body," the book says, "one of which is a rise in the insulin-like growth factor in the bloodstream."
This IGF-1 "is a powerful stimulus for cancer cell growth. When breast cancer cells are mixed with IGF-1 in a test tube, for example, they grow rapidly."
Research has linked the insulin-like growth factor to several cancers, "not only to the likelihood that cancer will strike, but also to how rapidly it will grow and spread once it has occurred. .. At least 16 research reports in diverse populations, including the Harvard studies ... have linked milk to prostate cancer."
This makes for alarming news in a culture that honors milk and is addicted to cheese.
Americans rely on dairy products to boost calcium and prevent osteoporosis, to say nothing of how it steams our lattes and smothers our pizza.
As the workbook says, "If milk does have health risks, what do we replace it with?"
On the beverage front, soy milk and other alternatives are now widely available, although more expensive than cow's milk. In the class, we sampled almond milk, rice milk, and flavored and non-flavored soy types. The soy milks generally taste creamier than the rice and almond types.
Shoppers will also find non-dairy sorbets and frozen soy desserts in the "organic" cold case.
What about calcium? Although it's almost a commandment, the Cancer Project personnel say milk is not the best source of calcium.
Green leafy vegetables, beans, peas and legumes all contain calcium, and they're rich in fiber. Fortified orange juice is a good bet, but beware of getting too much calcium, which can contribute to prostate cancer.
Bluntly, the workbook states, "don't depend on calcium -- from any source --- to protect you from osteoporosis. While the dairy industry has pushed drinking milk as a means of preventing the bone-thinning condition, studies show that the strategy is largely useless."
What works?
Exercise, because "your bones need a reason to live."
Vitamin D, from sunlight and from supplements.
Beans, peas, lentils, collard and kale are rich in calcium, as are figs, raisins, almonds and dates.
Because osteoporosis is actually caused by the rapid loss of calcium, the workbook says, people need to be aware that sodium, animal protein and smoking all speed up the loss of calcium.
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