Drinking dairy milk may be linked to higher risk of breast cancer: Study

Dairy milk intake may be linked to a greater risk of breast cancer, according to a study which may lead to new clinical dietary recommendations for women to prevent the malignant disease.

The researchers, including those from Loma Linda University in the US, said the observational study gives "fairly strong evidence that either dairy milk, or some other factor closely related to drinking dairy milk is a cause of breast cancer in women.

In their study, published in the International Journal of Epidemiology, they noted that even relatively moderate amounts of dairy milk consumption can increase women's risk of breast cancer by up to 80 per cent depending on the amount consumed.

"Consuming as little as one-fourth to one-third of a cup of dairy milk per day was associated with an increased risk of breast cancer of 30 per cent," said Gary E. Fraser, study co-author from Loma Linda University.

"By drinking up to one cup per day, the associated risk went up to 50 per cent, and for those ...