Animal foods not linked to breast cancer

BOSTON, Aug. 14 (UPI) -- Three studies provide no evidence that animal food consumption increases the risk of breast cancer, U.S. and European researchers said.

In one study, 35 obese postmenopausal women with type 2 diabetes received conjugated linoleic acid supplements or a control supplement each for 36 weeks. In a second study, researchers examined the association between conjugated linoleic acid intake from natural sources and breast cancer incidence in a large cohort of initially cancer-free Swedish women for 17.4 years.

The third study assessed whether the consumption of meat, eggs and dairy products was associated with breast cancer risk in a group of healthy European women, who were tracked for 8.8 years.

The findings, scheduled to be published in the September issue of The American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, provide strong evidence that consumption of meat and dairy products by women does not, by itself, increase breast cancer risk, but moderate and mindful consumption of these foods can be very important in attaining optimal nutrition for most women who often do not consume sufficient iron and calcium. However, conjugated linoleic acid supplementation may decrease adiposity -- fat.