Low-fat milk reduces breast cancer risk
20 September 2002
Drinking low-fat or skim milk may protect premenopausal women against breast cancer, data from the Nurses' Health Study suggests.
US researchers followed 88,691 women for 16 years, and compared their dairy intake with the risk of breast cancer in pre- and postmenopausal women.
Women who drank more than one serve a day of low-fat or skim milk had a reduced risk of premenopausal breast cancer than women who drank 3 serves of low-fat milk or less a month (Journal of the National Cancer Institute 2002; 94: 1301-10).
The reduced risk of breast cancer in women drinking whole milk was not significant.
Milk intake did not affect the risk of breast cancer in postmenopausal women, the researchers wrote.
Last Reviewed: 20 September 2002
- 1. Medical Observer Weekly 20/09/02
