Lactose Intake May Increase Ovarian Cancer Risk in Postmenopausal Women

Lyle Loughry, February 2008


One of the very best ways to get plenty of pesticides, herbicides, fertilizers and bovine growth hormones in your diet is to drink pasteurized and homogenized commercial milk every day. Postmenopausal women may be getting all that, and a whole lot more: A higher risk of developing a serious form of ovarian cancer!

Previous studies have established the link between Lactose, a milk sugar that contains galactose; a sugar component, with ovarian cancer. Now, a major study done by researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Medicine in Stockholm, Sweden, have confirmed the earlier studies.

The Stockholm team used data collected from the Swedish Mammography Cohort to review dietary and medical records of more than 61,000 women, aged 38 to 76 years who were cancer-free at the outset of the study. Over a follow up period of about 13 years, more than 260 subjects were diagnosed with epithelial ovarian cancer, and 125 of those cases were considered "serious." This type of cancer originates in the surface cells of the ovaries and frequently spreads to other organs in the abdomen.

After analyzing their data, the Stockholm researchers came to these conclusions:

* Lactose intake was associated with serious ovarian cancer risk.

* Women who consumed approximately four daily servings of dairy products had twice the risk of developing serious ovarian cancer compared to women who consumed less than two daily servings of dairy.

* The dairy product most strongly associated with serious ovarian cancer was milk.

Dr. Jonathan Wright, noted physician and researcher, has said it before and a new study from the University of Liverpool warrants him saying it again: "Milk is for baby cows, not for baby humans" -- or adult humans, for that matter. Dr. Jonathan Wright operates the Tahoma Clinic, one of the finest nutritional medical clinics in the world. Milk has already been linked to numerous other health concerns including prostate problems and (ironically) bone fractures. Now, this recent research adds yet another item to the growing list of reasons to stay away from dairy: It may contain bacteria that can cause Crohn's disease.

For those of you who may not be familiar with it, Crohn's disease involves chronic inflammation of the gastrointestinal tract that typically leads to frequent bouts of pain and diarrhea. It has typically been regarded as an autoimmune disease, but this new study suggests there may be another factor at work.

The researchers found that a type of bacteria called Mycobacterium paratuberculosis, which causes a wasting disease in cattle called Johne's disease, can make its way into humans via milk and dairy products. Once inside the body, the Mycobacteria release a molecule that prevents white blood cells from killing E. coli bacteria. Previous research has shown that people suffering from Crohn's disease have higher-than-normal levels of E.coli in their bodies.

Cows' milk is one of the European Union's 'big eight' allergy-inducing foods alongside gluten, eggs, fish, peanuts, soya, treenuts and shellfish. More serious than lactose intolerance, a true milk allergy presents in one or more of three organ systems:

- Gastrointestinal (vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal cramps, bloating) affecting 50-60% of those with Cow's milk allergy (CMA)
- Skin (rashes, including eczema and atopic dermatitis) 50-70%
- Respiratory (wheeze, cough, runny nose) 20-30%

Dr Martin Brueton, an Act Against Allergy Advisory Board Member and Emeritus Paediatric Gastroenterologist at Chelsea and Westminster Hospital, London, UK, commented: "Cows' milk is the most common cause of food allergy in infants and children," The average baby with Cows' milk allergy (CMA) may suffer from an array of symptoms; from skin rashes to gastric problems, wheezing, vomiting, diarrhea, constipation, excessive crying, and often shows problems with weight gain.

Having a child with Cows' milk allergy can be very stressful for parents. In addition to coping with the disturbing physical effects of the condition on the child, 70% of parents of children with CMA said that it makes them feel guilty and distressed, and 82% said that it has caused them to lose sleep. Until the child is properly diagnosed and put onto a suitable milk substitute, the impact on the parents and the family as a whole is considerable."

A new book, What's In Your Milk?, by Dr. Samuel Epstein, M.D., one of the world's leading scientific authorities on genetically engineered rBGH milk, offers readers an air-tight case against the use of Monsanto's synthetic hormone. Epstein's previous works have played a major role in influencing other nations to ban rBGH milk, including all of Europe, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. Is it time for the U.S. to finally acknowledge the dangers of this product?

Some misinformed moms are even feeding their vulnerable babies soy instant formula, which exposes their child to the equivalent of five birth control pills’ worth of estrogen every day, at least partly responsible for almost half of African Americans and 15 percent of whites to begin breast development by age 8. For this same reason, it’s also important for pregnant women to avoid eating soy, as a high estrogenic environment in utero may increase their child’s subsequent breast cancer risk.

In this book, Epstein offers significant evidence of interlocking conflicts of interest between Monsanto and the White House, regulatory agencies, and the American Medical Association and American Cancer Society. He also details evidence of Monsanto's white collar crime; the suppression and manipulation of information on the veterinary and public health dangers of rBGH milk.

Recommendation: Women who feel they need to drink milk or use milk in other ways would be better served to switch to rice or almond milk, and the same would be true for men, children and infants. Soy milk is no longer recommended, because soy has its own set of problems.

For years, soy milk was recommended by some as a natural, healthy alternative to cow's milk. Recently, more information has appeared regarding the environmental impact of soybean farming (the Amazon rainforest is being devastated by clear cutting to create soybean agricultural lands) as well as the frightening fact that most soybeans grown today are genetically modified (GMO) varieties. Additionally, most popular soy milk brands have been bought out by big, profit-seeking food and beverage corporations, and as a result, they've been sugared up and made nutritionally inferior. Check the ingredients on "plain" soy milk the next time you're at the store: It's loaded with sugar!

According to Carolyn Dean, MD, ND, who has done extensive research on a number of digestive-related topics, and is author of IBS for Dummies (Wiley), "The wide varieties of soy-based foods require extensive processing to get them to the state in which they can be used as the foods now on our shelves -- they are far from 'natural.' The beans are cooked, crushed and heated to high temperatures and then put through a solvent extraction process to remove the oil.

The now defatted meal is mixed with sugars and an alkaline solution to remove the fiber and the resulting curds are spray dried at high temperatures, which does two things -- produces high-protein powder... and peroxides the oils making them pro-inflammatory. The end result is food that is bereft of vitamins and likely minerals," she says, "and far removed from being a natural wholesome food." And there are other problems.

According to Dean, "Because soy has a high level of phytic acid, it blocks digestion of grains, which are an important source of minerals. Additionally, soy contains trypsin inhibitors and these interfere with protein digestion. Adding to these problems, the body does not absorb the B-12 in soy, which in turn creates a nutritional void for vegetarians who consume soy protein as a way of providing themselves with this important B vitamin."

The only exception to this disturbing development would be soy products that have been fermented. Dr. Dean, who also studied Chinese medicine, says that the Chinese did not eat soy until they discovered that fermenting would turn it into a useful food. In fact, fermented soy is largely the type of soy that Asians consume today. Fermenting involves treating soy with a mold for a day or so. Fermented foods include tempeh (not to be confused with tofu, which is not fermented), which has a nutty mushroom taste... miso... natto... and tamari sauce.

However, because soy exists in so many foods today as vegetable oil, binders and the like, even people who are wary of soy probably consume some of it almost daily. Consequently, Dr. Dean advises limiting fermented soy product consumption to not more than every third day.

Virtually no credible, objective research (that not paid for by the milk or soy industry) supports either product as a healthy choice for adults or children, today.

Women, do yourselves a big, healthy favor. Stop drinking and using pasteurized and homogenized milk, and unfermented soy products. Find a good source for rice or almond milk, and those soy products specifically recommended by Dr. Dean, and get used to something really good for your body, and possibly avoid a plethora of serious health issues in the future.