Milk Calcium Could Affect Breast Cancer, Weight

Milk Calcium Could Affect Breast Cancer, Weight

OSLO, Norway--Researchers at the University of Oslo determinedthat high rates of childhood and adult milk consumption (three or more glassesper day) reduced the incidence of breast cancer. Published in the Sept. 15 issueof International Journal of Cancer (93:888-93, 2001) (www3.interscience.wiley.com),the study presented an analysis of dairy consumption and breast cancer incidenceamong 48,844 premenopausal Norwegian women. During a mean follow-up time of 6.2years, 317 cases of breast cancer were diagnosed. Researchers, led by AnetteHjartaker, found that adult milk consumption tended to be negatively related tobreast cancer incidence, and women drinking more than three glasses per day wereless likely to develop breast cancer as compared to women who did not.

In addition, the calcium found in dairy products may help children maintain ahealthy body fat percentage during the critical years of body fat development,according to research presented at the American College of Nutrition's (www.am-coll-nutr.org)annual sympostum in Orlando and published in the International Journal ofObesity (25:559-566, 2001) (www.naturesj.com/sj/index.html).For eight years, researchers from the University of Utah followed 53 healthychildren (ages two to eight) with low calcium intakes and randomly divided theminto dairy or non-dairy groups. Both groups had similar caloric and fat intakes,and the dairy group was supplemented daily with four servings of milk and milkgroup foods (1,200 mg calcium). While the children in both groups had similartotal body fat levels at baseline, the children in the dairy group ended thestudy with lower body fat levels.