Fatty dairy linked to early cancer death

People who are diagnosed with breast cancer and then go on to consume a steady diet of high-fat dairy foods increase their chances of dying years earlier than those who consumed low to nonfat milk products, according to a new study by Kaiser Permanente researchers.The study, published in the Journal of the National Cancer Institute, is considered the first to look at the differences in high-fat and low-fat dairy intake following a breast cancer diagnosis on long-term survival.The results don’t suggest that people eliminate dairy from their diet entirely. “But it can’t hurt to alter consumption of higher-fat milk to low-fat or nonfat,” said Candyce Kroenke, staff scientist with the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland and lead author of the study.For the study, researchers looked at the dietary habits of nearly 1,900 women, mostly Northern California Kaiser patients, who were diagnosed with relatively early-stage, invasive breast cancer between 1997 and 2000.Those who consumed one or more servings per day of high-fat dairy products such as whole milk and cream, condensed or evaporated milk, ice cream and custards had a 49% increased risk of dying from breast cancer during the 12-year follow-up than those patients who limited their amount of high-fat products, the study found. They also had a 64% higher risk of dying from any cause during that period, most often from cardiovascular diseases.