Several decades ago, when medical research studies began to find serious trouble with dairy products, many people-even some doctors-found it surprising, to say the least. Milk, after all, has been heavily marketed for years. It's even served in school lunch programs.
But if we take a moment to look beyond advertising and marketing, we'll be reminded that cow's milk was intended by nature to feed and nourish calves, just as the milk of all mammals was designed to sustain their own offspring. Drinking cow's milk into adulthood could have easily turned out to be nothing more than a peculiar habit, but it has unfortunately led to many serious health problems. Milk drinking has been linked to Type 1 diabetes, breast cancer, overweight, gastrointestinal problems, and prostate cancer.
In 1997, the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research confirmed that separate scientific reviews identified associations between dairy product consumption and prostate cancer risk, and concluded that dairy products should be considered a possible contributor to the development of the disease. By now, more than sixteen studies have shown the link, including two from Harvard University involving large groups of men and using the best research methods available.
As we have seen, dairy products disrupt vitamin D balance, which can lead to prostate cancer. Dairy products also boost blood levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-I). Studies in diverse populations have clearly shown that the more IGF-I there is in the blood, the higher your prostate cancer risk. A study of men and women aged fifty-five to eighty-five years showed that the addition of three 8-ounce servings of non-fat or 1 percent milk each day for twelve weeks caused a 10 percent increase in IGF-I. IGF-I levels are significantly lower in people who avoid meat, eggs, and dairy products.
When you skip the dairy aisle and begin selecting protein and calcium sources from plants rather than animals, you'll likely bring your serum IGF-I concentrations back down to a much safer level.
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