No Dairy?

[Faith in Him]

Could someone please explain why some cancer patients decide not to eat any dairy? I typically do not eat a lot of dairy but love creamer in my coffee.

Thanks,
Tonya

[Shobha]

I am vegetarian and depend on milk and other dairy products for protein. I too am concerned if I should be reducing this from my diet...?

Bumping it up..

[BonnieR]

I have not heard of this.

[Debbie L.]

I just wrote and deleted a long reply but the gist of it is that no one knows for sure the answer to most of these dietary questions. Dietary things are really hard to pin down, although you wouldn't know that to listen to some of the magic-bullet cancer foods that enjoy (usually brief) notoriety.

Most people who avoid dairy (who are not vegan) do so because american cows are given growth hormones to increase their milk production, which enters their milk, and could have an effect on cancer growth. I am beginning to see some mainstream milk labeled rBGH-free. Some people eat only organic dairy to get around this. You can google "dairy growth hormone" to read more about it.

What else is in your creamer? I'm more wary of the other stuff in the ones that have a six-page ingredient list of chemicals than I am of the milk product (but I buy organic milk and avoid processed food of any kind - I know, no proof - go figure).

Debbie Laxague

[BonnieR]

Debbie, good points. I used to enjoy those flavored creamers but have become leery of the chemical ingredients. But since they have very little in common with "dairy" I guess Tonya is referring to real cream. Which sounds like a nice little indulgence to me if you can afford the calories!

I was always encouraged to eat alot dairy while in chemo and needing nourishment. So it must not be contraindicated but more of a personal choice.

[CourtneyL]

Hi - I heard about this when I was first diagnosed too and investigated further. The quick answer is that when humans drink milk, it causes a rise in the amount of insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I) in the bloodstream. IGF-I is a powerful stimulus for cancer cell growth. When breast cancer cells are mixed with IGI-I in a test tube, for example, they grow rapidly.

A great resource for learning more about this (and the role of nutrition and cancer in general) is The Cancer Project (www.cancerproject.org). I took a free cooking class sponsored by this organization at UCSF and I learned a ton about the role of dairy, meat, etc in cancer. They've got a great book out called "The Survivor's Handbook - Eating Right For Cancer Survival" that explains all of these things and backs it up with citations to scientific studies. Plus there are great recipes.

My husband and I have switched to a mostly vegan diet based on what we learned from The Cancer Project. Of course, I do enjoy the occassional cheese piece now and again ;-)

[CourtneyL]

Tonya - If you want to dig even deeper, read a book called The China Study (www.thechinastudy.com). It is about the largest epidemiological study ever conducted examining the role of nutrition and disease. Some really interesting stuff!

[SoCalGal]

Oh - this is one of my favorite subjects:)

I've been dairy free and gluten free for almost 2 years! Not a vegan or vegetarian or any other thing just doing this for immune system reasons. I eat mostly organic and take a zillion vitamins and supplements each day.

Here are the highlights from a 20 page paper and a 3 hour initial consult and my weekly appointments:

"Of all foods dairy products are the most detrimental to your health because they contain casein (milk protein) lactose (milk sugar) and high amounts of omega-6 and trans fats and saturated fat. People cannot completely digest casein and when the products that result from the incomplete breakdown of casein are absorbed they impair the function of the immune system".

Regarding the cream in your coffee - I also used very little dairy or so I thought. When you start reading labels you will be SHOCKED. Once you get used to a dairy free alternative I found that it was just fine.

"Most whole grain products (whole wheat) contains gluten which is a protein that depresses your immune system. The fats are are nearly all omega 6 polyunsaturated fats. Grains contain only small amounts of healthful phytochemicals and are lacking in many essential vitamins and are very low in calcium. Grains are high in phytates which can block the absorption of essential minerals."

This is a long paper which goes on to mention many of the same issues RB writes and talks about in his book regarding Omega 3's and 6's and how to balance them properly.

Hope this gives you some food for thought:)
Flori

[ElaineM]

I eat yogurt. All that friendly bacteria in good quality low fat plain or vanilla yoghurt is good for digestive health.
I was never a big fan of milk, but I do eat cheese occassionally. My immune system is fine. My white blood counts were never a problem during treatment. I pay attention the gycemic index of all foods to keep my glucose or blood sugar within normal limits. I try to eat foods with omega 3 oil instead of foods with too much omega 6 oil.

[Lien]

It's a difficult issue. I do believe that diet can be a factor, but not for everyone. We just don't know enough. I eat a rather limited diet, because of severe allergies, and avoid dairy, eggs, coffee, tea, soy, gluten, rice, corn, nuts, chocolate, beef and pork. I don't eat farmed salmon, I only eat free-range chicken, take lots of olive oil, fresh unprocessed fruit & veg, buckwheat, fish, and developed cancer anyway.

There's no easy answer here. But if you find that every virus or bacteria finds a home in your bod, if you feel as if you are getting the flu most days, if you are tired all the time and have headaches, irritable bowel syndrome, asthma, eczema and or severe moodswings, a change in diet might do you some good.

Just my 2 c

Jacqueline

[jhandley]

Jane has written a book about her experience. I don't know if she was her2+ but she was ER+ and she experienced dramatic results when she went off dairy products. If you goole her you will come up with the book. She writes from a scientific point of view and it is quite convincing.
Jackie(down under)

[Debbie L.]

http://sev.prnewswire.com/health-care-hospitals/20090209/DC6871709022009-1.html

or tinyurl http://tinyurl.com/asea3j

I've seen this on other news pages without all credit given to BCA so am not sure how accurate the above take on it is. But the other sites were so busy and annoying with those jumping-around-people that I sent you this one instead. Whoever gets the credit, it's a move in the right direction.

Debbie Laxague

[Faith in Him]

Thanks for all the suggestions and links. You're the best.

Tonya

[vickie h]

I've been off dairy for over 20 years, and off of gluten/wheat for 2 years. I have several friends who have quit all dairy products over the years and their health has improved dramatically. I had a bone scan over a year ago and I have no ostopenia at all. I get my calcium from dark greens and supplements. It's always amazed me that our country consumes an exhorbitant amount of dairy and yet has some of the highest incidences of osteoporosis in the world. Love, Vickie

[Mary Anne in TX]

We're a funny people...aren't we! As the financial situation worsens, I cook more than ever and my little family and I seem to enjoy it so much more than "prefab" foods. We don't do much dairy, a little milk with cereal once in a while and a bit of cheese (my husband does soy everything). I think our habits of "mis-eating", if changed would serve us all well. I've learned for me that whatever is in the pantry, I eat. I'm learning to only shop when I'm not hungry and thinking clearly. Here's to healthy eating and long life. ma

[ElaineM]

This is a really good discussion !! I love learning more about nutrition, because I am always trying to improve mine. I wish we had a whole section on nutrition, so that we could discuss it more. I believe what we put in our bodies affects our health.
I mentioned that I eat yogurt and an occassional slice of cheese. I also eat plenty of dark green veggies, beans and other non dairy foods that provide calcium. I am careful about foods that have a high gycemic index and
I hardly ever eat foods with processed sugar or desserts. I am a vegetarian.
Thanks for the link Courtney.