This summary table contains detailed information about research studies. While viewing summary tables offers an informative glimpse at the science behind many breast cancer guidelines and recommendations, they should be viewed with some caution. There are a number of concepts you must understand to be able to successfully read and interpret research tables. To get some background information about understanding research tables, please see How to Read a Research Table.
|
Introduction: Dairy products have been studied as both potential factors that may increase or decrease breast cancer risk. Some researchers have suggested that the high fat content of many dairy products or traces of growth hormones in milk may increase breast cancer risk [1,2]. Others have proposed that the calcium and vitamin D in dairy products may reduce risk [3]. A pooled analysis of more than 20 studies found no link between dairy product intake (including milk, cheese and yogurt) and breast cancer risk [4]. However, recent data from the Nurses Health Study II found that women who ate two or more servings of high-fat dairy products (like whole milk or butter) every day were at a modestly higher risk of premenopausal breast cancer [5]. At this time, it appears unlikely that consumption of dairy products is related to postmenopausal breast cancer. However, more research is needed to draw solid conclusions about the possible link between dairy products and premenopausal breast cancer.
Find more information on the strengths and weaknesses of different types of studies.
See how this risk factor compares with other risk factors for breast cancer.
Study selection criteria: Available prospective cohort studies and pooled analyses with at least 200 cases.
Table note: Relative risk above 1 indicates increased risk. Relative risk below 1 indicates decreased risk.
Study
|
Study Population
(number of participants)
|
Follow-up
(years)
|
Type of Dairy Product
|
Relative Risk of Breast Cancer for Women with Highest Level of Dairy Intake versus Women with Lowest Level of Dairy Intake,
RR (95% CI)
|
Premenopausal
|
Postmenopausal
|
Prospective cohort studies
|
Seventh-day Adventists [5]
|
20,341
pre- and postmenopausal women
(215 cases)
|
6
|
Whole milk
At least daily vs.
never
|
|
0.94 (0.66-1.33)*
|
Norwegian National Health Screening Services [6]
|
24,897
pre- and postmenopausal women
(248 cases)
|
10.4
|
Milk
5 or more vs.
<=1 glasses/day
|
|
1.71 (0.86-3.38)†
|
| |
|
|
Whole milk
5 or more vs.
<=1 glasses/day
|
|
2.91 (1.38-6.14)†
|
Hiroshima and Nagasaki cohort [7]
|
34,759
pre- and postmenopausal women
(427 cases)
|
12-24
|
Milk
5 or more vs.
<=1 times/week
|
|
0.96 (0.76-1.22)†
|
Norwegian Women and Cancer Study [8]
|
48,844
premenopausal women
(317 cases)
|
6.2
|
Milk
More than 3 vs.
no glasses/day
|
0.56 (0.31-1.01)
|
|
Netherlands Cohort Study [9]
|
62,573
postmenopausal women
(941 cases)
|
6.3
|
Milk and milk products
Average 2.4 vs.
<1 glasses/day
|
|
0.91 (0.67-1.24)
|
Nurses' Health Study [10]
|
88,691
pre- and postmenopausal women
(3,482 cases)
|
16
|
Dairy products
3 or more vs.
<=1 servings/day
|
0.80 (0.63-1.03)
|
0.97 (0.85-1.12)
|
| |
|
|
Milk
At least one glass/day vs.
3 or fewer glasses/month
|
0.73 (0.56-0.94)
|
1.01 (0.87-1.17)
|
Nurses' Health Study II [11]
|
90,655
premenopausal women
(714 cases)
|
8
|
Dairy foods
Average of 4 vs.
0.7 servings/day
|
1.03 (0.79-1.36)
|
|
| |
|
|
Low-fat dairy foods
Average of 2.8 vs.
0.2 servings/day
|
0.82 (0.63-1.06)
|
|
| |
|
|
High-fat dairy foods
Average of 2.2 vs.
0.2 servings/day
|
1.36 (1.03-1.75)
|
|
Cancer Prevention Study II [12]
|
68,567
postmenopausal women
(2,855 cases)
|
8-9
|
Dairy products
3 or more vs.
<0.5 servings/day
|
|
0.81 (0.69-0.96)‡
|
| |
|
|
Milk
3 or more vs.
no servings/day
|
|
0.88 (0.76-1.02)
|
Women's Health Study [3]
|
31,487
pre- and postmenopausal women
(1,019 cases)
|
10
|
Dairy products
3 or more vs.
<1 servings/day
|
0.64 (0.42-0.95)
|
1.07 (0.82-1.39)
|
Pooled analyses
|
Missmer et al. [4]
|
351,041
|
up to 15
|
Dairy fluids
|
0.96 (0.90-1.02)
|
1.00 (0.98-1.01)
|
| |
|
|
Dairy solids
|
0.87 (0.68-1.11)
|
1.05 (0.94-1.16)
|
* Includes both premenopausal women and postmenopausal women. When postmenopausal women examined separately, results also showed no association with RR=0.98 (0.66-1.45).
† Includes both premenopausal women and postmenopausal women.
‡ When high- and low-fat dairy products were examined separately, similar results were found.
References
1. Moorman PG, Terry PD. Consumption of dairy products and the risk of breast cancer: a review of the literature. Am J Clin Nutr. 80:5-14, 2004.
2. Ganmaa D, Sato A. The possible role of female sex hormones in milk from pregnant cows in the development of breast, ovarian and corpus uteri cancers. Med Hypotheses. 65:1028-37, 2005.
3. Lin J, Manson JE, Lee IM, Cook NR, Buring JE, Zhang SM. Intakes of calcium and vitamin D and breast cancer risk in women. Arch Intern Med. 167(10):1050-9, 2007.
4. Missmer SA, Smith-Warner S-A, Spiegelman D, et al. Meat and dairy food consumption and breast cancer: a pooled analysis of cohort studies. Int J Epidemiol. 31(1):78-85, 2002.
5. Mills PK, Beeson WL, Phillips RL, Fraser GE. Dietary habits and breast cancer incidence among Seventh-day Adventists. Cancer. 64(3):582-90, 1989.
6. Gaard M, Tretli S, Loken EB. Dietary fat and the risk of breast cancer: a prospective study of 25,892 Norwegian women. Int J Cancer. 63(1):13-7, 1995.
7. Key TJ, Sharp GB, Appleby PN, et al. Soya foods and breast cancer risk: a prospective study in Hiroshima and Nagasaki, Japan. Br J Cancer. 81(7):1248-56, 1999.
8. Hjartåker A, Laake P, Lund E. Childhood and adult milk consumption and risk of premenopausal breast cancer in a cohort of 48,844 women - the Norwegian women and cancer study. Int J Cancer. 93(6):888-93, 2001.
9. Voorrips LE, Brants HAM, Kardinaal AFM, Hiddink GJ, van den Brandt PA, Goldbohm RA. Intake of conjugated linoleic acid, fat, and other fatty acids in relation to postmenopausal breast cancer: the Netherlands Cohort Study on Diet and Cancer. Am J Clin Nutr. 76(4):873-82, 2002.
10. Shin MH, Holmes MD, Hankinson SE, Wu K, Colditz GA, Willett WC. Intake of dairy products, calcium, and vitamin D and risk of breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 94(17):1301-11, 2002.
11. Cho E, Spiegelman D, Hunter DJ, et al. Premenopausal fat intake and risk of breast cancer. J Natl Cancer Inst. 95(14):1079-85, 2003.
12. McCullough ML, Rodriguez C, Diver WR, et al. Dairy, calcium, and vitamin D intake and postmenopausal breast cancer risk in the Cancer Prevention Study II Nutrition Cohort. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev. 14(12):2898-904, 2005.
Updated 09/12/09
