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Dairy Milk Hormones’ Effects on Cancer

The AHA! Team — Fri, 07 Jun 2024 08:44:47 +0000

Michael Greger M.D. FACLM via Nutrition Facts – What are the effects of the female sex hormones in cow’s milk on men, women, and children? All foods of animal origin contain hormones, but most of our dietary exposure to hormones comes from dairy products. By quantity, as you can see below and at 0:16 in my video The Effects of Hormones in Dairy Milk on Cancer, it is mostly prolactin, corticosteroids, and progesterone, but there are also a bunch of estrogens, which concentrate even further when other dairy products are made. For instance, Hormones are five times more concentrated in cream and cheese, and ten times more in butter. When it comes to steroid hormones in the food supply, about three-quarters of our exposure to ingested female sex steroids come from dairy, and the rest is split evenly between eggs and meat (including fish). Indeed, eggs contribute about as much as all meat combined, which makes a certain amount of sense since an egg comes straight from a hen’s ovary. Among the various types of meat, you get as much from white meat (fish and poultry) as you do from pork and beef, and this is just from natural hormones—not added hormone injections, like bovine growth hormone. So, it doesn’t matter if the meat is organic. Animals produce hormones because they’re animals, and their hormones understandably end up in animal products. About half of the people surveyed “did not know that milk naturally contains hormones,” and many “lacked basic knowledge (22% did not know that cows only give milk after calving)”—that is, they didn’t realize what milk is for—feeding baby calves. Researchers suggested we ought to inform the public about dairy production practices. In response, one Journal of Dairy Science respondent wrote that telling the public about the industry’s new technologies, like transgenic animals (meaning genetically engineered farm animals), “or contentious husbandry practices” (such as taking away that newly born calf so we can have more of the milk or “zero-grazing for dairy cows”—i.e., not letting cows out on grass), “does not result in high rates of public approval,” so ixnay on the educationay. The public may not know the extent to which they are exposed to estrogen through the intake of commercial milk produced from pregnant cows, which has potential public health implications. Modern genetically improved dairy cows, can get reimpregnated after giving birth and lactate throughout almost their entire next pregnancy “Modern genetically improved dairy cows, such as the Holstein,” the stereotypical black and white cow, can get reimpregnated after giving birth and lactate throughout almost their entire next pregnancy, which means that, these days, commercial cow’s milk contains large amounts of pregnancy hormones, like estrogens and progesterone. As you can see in the graph below and at 2:42 in my video, during the first eight months of a pregnant cow’s nine-month gestation, hormone levels in her milk shoot up more than 20-fold. Even so, we’re only talking about a millionth of a gram per quart, easily 10 to 20 times less estrogen hormones than you’d find in a birth control pill. In that case, would drinking it really have an effect on human hormone levels? Researchers analyzed three different estrogens and one progesterone metabolite flowing through the bodies of seven men before and after they drank about a liter of milk. Within hours of drinking the milk, their hormone levels shot up, as you can see in the graph below and at 3:08 in my video. The researchers also looked at the average levels of female sex steroids flowing through the bodies of six schoolchildren (with an average age of eight) before and after they drank about two cups of milk. Within hours of drinking the milk, their levels shot up, tripling or quadrupling their baseline hormone levels, as you can see in the graph below and at 3:23 in my video. So, one can imagine the effects milk might have on men or prepubescent children, but what about women? Presumably, women would have high levels of estrogen in their body in the first place, wouldn’t they? Well, not all women. What about postmenopausal women and endometrial cancer, for example? Estrogens have “a central role” in the development of endometrial cancer, cancer of the lining of the uterus. “Milk and dairy products are a source of steroid hormones and growth factors that might have physiological effects in humans.” So, Harvard researchers followed tens of thousands of women and their dairy consumption for decades and found a significantly higher risk of endometrial cancer among postmenopausal women who consumed more dairy, as shown below and at 4:19 in my video. What about dietary exposure to hormones and breast cancer? Unfortunately, “understanding the role of dietary hormone exposure in the population burden of breast cancer is not possible at this time.” For more on the relationship between cancer and dairy, see related videos below. I talk about the effect of dairy estrogen on men in Dairy Estrogen and Male Fertility. What about the phytoestrogens in soy? See here. Key Takeaways Although hormones are in all animal products, the majority (about three-quarters) of our dietary exposure comes from milk and other dairy products. The hormones in milk concentrate even further when other dairy products are produced—e.g., five times more concentrated in cream and cheese, and ten times more in butter. The rest (about one-quarter) of our exposure to ingested female sex steroids is split evenly between eggs and meat (including fish), with eggs contributing about as much as all meats combined and white meat (fish and poultry) contributing about as much as pork and beef. About 50 percent of people surveyed didn’t know that hormones are naturally found in milk, and more than one in five didn’t know that cows only produce milk after calving (intended to feed their calves). In response to the suggestion that consumers should be informed of dairy production practices, a Journal of Dairy Science respondent disagreed, believing that telling the public about practices, such as genetically engineering animals, removing calves soon after birth, and keeping cows off grass or pasture, “does not result in high rates of public approval.” Today, dairy cows may be reimpregnated after giving birth and lactate throughout nearly their whole pregnancy. So, large amounts of pregnancy hormones, like estrogens and progesterone, can be found in commercial cow’s milk. Researchers found that hormone levels shot up in men and school-aged kids within hours of drinking about a liter of milk. Estrogens play “a central role” in the development of endometrial cancer, and researchers found a significantly greater risk of this type of cancer among postmenopausal women who consume more dairy, which is a source of steroid hormones and growth factors. Regarding breast cancer and dietary exposure to hormones, “understanding the role” isn’t currently possible. To read the original article click here.

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UOC Researchers to Study the Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Aging in Postmenopausal Women

AHA Publisher — Mon, 04 Jan 2021 08:00:14 +0000

Open University of Catalonia (UOC) via News-Medical Net – Although many treatments are offered for slowing down the impact of aging on health and physical appearance, there are no serious studies that prove their effectiveness on the biological effects of aging. According to research, calorie restriction increases life expectancy and improves health in an extensive range of animals, including mammals. Two researchers from the UOC Faculty of Health Sciences’ FoodLab, Salvador Macip and Marta Massip, will study the impact of intermittent fasting in women who have completed menopause. The goals pursued by this study – funded by the Ministry of Science and Innovation – are, on one hand, to validate aging markers in a context of calorie restriction and, on the other hand, determine whether intermittent fasting leads to changes in organ aging in menopausal women, that is, women whose ovaries have ceased all activity. Menopause is associated with a series of changes in women’s bodies that affect their quality of life, for example, a significant increase in the incidence of metabolic syndrome, which in turn increases their cardiovascular risk, and acceleration of aging-related processes. The Importance of Defining Aging Markers The markers that will be used in the study have been validated previously in laboratory mice at University of Leicester (United Kingdom), where Salvador Macip works as professor and researcher. These markers, which can be identified in a simple blood test, can be used to detect the accumulation of old cells in different organs and differentiate between old and young tissues. Without suitable markers that measure cell aging in humans, it is impossible to know whether an anti-aging strategy actually works. We have discovered a series of new markers that we believe closely mirror the biological aging of tissues in animals. Now we want to see if they also work in humans and use them to measure the effects of dietary changes on aging that have already been seen to have a positive effect in mammals.” Salvador Macip, Researcher, UOC Faculty of Health Sciences’ FoodLab With the title Effects of intermittent fasting on organ aging in postmenopausal women, the study will be carried out between 2021 and 2023, with the participation of a hundred or so women recruited with the cooperation of Dr Guillem Cuatrecasas Cambra, head of the Endocrinology and Nutrition Department at the Clínica Sagrada Familia and the CPEN center. Fasting, a Cell Cleansing Mechanism During the first phase, the participants’ degree of organ aging will be analyzed by means of markers that are visible in blood samples. For the clinical study, the patients will be divided into two groups, the control group and the test group, which will be the group that fasts. All patients will follow a balanced diet with a normal amount of calories but low in carbohydrates for one year. In addition, the test group will fast for 16 hours consecutively two days a week (for example, they will have supper early and will not eat again until lunch next day). During the fasting period, they will not be able to eat but they will be allowed to drink water, coffee or tea. Blood samples will be taken from the patients before starting the study, six months after starting and after one year, at the end of the study. Apart from the markers that can be observed in the blood test, other parameters will also be analyzed, such as general health markers and symptoms associated with frailty. As Marta Massip explained, “With fasting, what we are doing is activating hormone regulating mechanisms and autophagia, which is a cell “cleansing” mechanism that eliminates the waste products involved in premature aging or even in certain diseases. So that the participants can become accustomed to the dietary intervention, the study will begin with a training and adaptation period during which the fasting will be integrated as naturally as possible in their daily lives. If the researchers’ hypothesis is correct, intermittent fasting may lead to improvements in tissue aging and become established as a relatively simple intervention for improving women’s quality of life during the postmenopausal period. And not just that. According to Salvador Macip, “Although men’s and women’s metabolism is very different, the biological mechanisms underlying the aging process are the same. We believe that the findings obtained in this study could be adapted perfectly well to men too”. La Marató Is Funding a Project on Metabolism and Aging The researcher and scientific commentator Salvador Macip will also co-lead a project funded by La Marató de TV3 which also studies the connections between metabolism and aging. This research project will be undertaken jointly with Dr Felizia Hanzu’s team at the Hospital Clínic de Barcelona on Cushing’s Disease, a hormone disorder for which there is currently no treatment and which causes symptoms and tissue changes that are very similar to those of aging. The project will study whether “cleansing” aging cells from the patients’ tissues can improve their quality of life and life expectancy. Macip and the team at the Hospital Clínic will use the same aging markers as the research project funded by the Ministry. To read the original article click here.

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Depression Is Prevalent During Menopause, Confirms Study

AHA Publisher — Mon, 06 Jul 2020 07:00:10 +0000

The North American Menopause Society via News-Medical Net – Depression has been shown to be prevalent during menopause, affecting as many as 70% of women transitioning into menopause. A new study not only confirms the high prevalence of depression but also the greatest risk factors for it in postmenopausal women, as well as any relationships with anxiety and fear of death. Study results are published online today in Menopause, the journal of The North American Menopause Society (NAMS). With the decrease in hormone production during menopause, women are more prone to a number of psychological problems, including depression, anxiety, irritability, nervousness, sadness, restlessness, memory problems, lack of confidence and concentration, and a loss of libido. At the same time, as women age, the fear of death becomes more pronounced. Depression and anxiety, which are the most common psychological problems that occur during the menopause transition, likely increase that fear. In this new study involving 485 postmenopausal Turkish women aged between 35 and 78 years, researchers sought to determine the frequency of depressive symptoms in postmenopausal women, the variables affecting it, and the levels of anxiety and fear of death. They then evaluated the relationship between all these variables and postmenopausal depression. They found that depression in postmenopausal women is a common and important health problem that requires further study. In this specific study, 41% of the participants were confirmed to experience some form of depression, although it is theorized that this rate was lower than in some previous studies because of the somewhat lower age of participants (average age, 56.3 y). In addition, the researchers identified those risk factors that most affected depression in postmenopause. These included being a widow or separated from one’s spouse, alcohol consumption, any medical history requiring continuous medication, the presence of any physical disability, physician-diagnosed mental illness, and having four or more living children. They did not, however, confirm any relationship between depression and the fear of death, although the somewhat younger age of the study group may have influenced this lack of association. Study results appear in the article “Depression, anxiety and fear of death in postmenopausal women.” “The findings of this study involving postmenopausal Turkish women are consistent with existing literature and emphasize the high prevalence of depressive symptoms in midlife women, particularly those with a history of depression or anxiety, chronic health conditions, and psychosocial factors such as major stressful life events. “Women and the clinicians who care for them need to be aware that the menopause transition is a period of vulnerability in terms of mood,” Dr. Stephanie Faubion, Medical Director, The North American Menopause Society (NAMS) To read the original article click here.

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