Milk causes cancer?

Disclaimer:
I will try my best to simply explain but do not take everything I say as the whole truth. I am writing from memory and my memory isn't always the best library (yeah, I can be very lazy at times to check up on references and yes I know I should especially since I am a scientist) and it will definitely not cover everything. If I am wrong about anything I have written, please do inform me.


A good friend of mine once asked me, does milk really cause cancer?

Thank god I've been puking milk since I was an infant. Wohoo! No cancer! But osteoporosis, here I come! One evil to another...

 I frowned then sighed. I receive many of these questions from those who know me as I have spent a good few years studying oncology and doing hands on cancer research.

Seriously, everyone should know how complicated cancer is and when you ask such questions, you cannot expect me to give an immediate answer. Basically, this article won't directly provide you with an answer for whether milk really does cause cancer or not but it will explain how cancer comes about. This is also for every other food out there that the media has stamped 'cancer causing'. Cancer just does not happen when you simply eat a hot dog.

What?! No, this must be for those people who consume hot dogs by the ton on a weekly basis. They shouldn't worry about cancer, they should worry about their heart failing.Wrong illness CancerProject.

CANCER  

Cancer is caused by mutations in the genetic makeup of cells and we all know cells proliferate, in other words, they 'reproduce rapidly'. This needs to happen because the blocks of life that make up our bodies are cells and our bodies are constantly changing and growing. These cells have many specific genes (subunits of genes are DNA) and complicated signaling pathways in which tells the cells to proliferate BUT they are REGULATED.

Now when mutations happen in these genes that ultimately provide the codes to create these proteins called enzymes to control these signaling pathways in our bodies, this screws up everything. These enzymes regulate the pathways that signal the cell to either proliferate or stop dividing. Most of the time, these mutations in these genes inhibit the production of enzymes that signals the cells to stop proliferating. But for any mutation to occur, damage must first be inflicted upon DNA.

There are indeed many things which can cause DNA damage, stimuli such as, exposure to radiation, viruses, chemicals, smoke, alcohol etc. Our bodies though are much more sturdier than you think. Our bodies have DNA repair genes that produce enzymes that help repair genes. Yes! We actually have inbuilt DNA repair mechanisms to help fix up all that damaged DNA.

However, failure to repair damanged DNA is what results in cancer. Uh oh.

Anyway, I've learned that there are basically two main stages of carcinogenesis: Initiation and Promotion.

INITIATION
Initiation is where a 'normal' cell turns into a 'mutated' cell when the cell's repair mechanism fails to fix the damaged DNA after an exposure to a DNA damaging stimuli. This occurs rapidly after exposure, is irreversible but it alone DOES NOT result in tumor (abnormal growth of body tissue) formation as 'initiated' cells do not just proliferate, they do not have autonomous growth. They may have increased lifespans compared to 'normal' cells and they seem to retain their response to selective enzymes on maintaining a 'normalish' cell cycle.

PROMOTION
The next stage is promotion. Promotion is the clonal expansion of the initiated cell and generally requires a long dose and repeated, prolonged stimulation of promoters that are non-mutagenic, in other words, do not cause DNA mutations, such as bile acids and saccharin (artificial sweetener) though this is an interruptible and reversible stage. This is where the mutated cells are still known as 'benign'. When the doctor tells you the lump you have under your arm is a benign tumor, it just simply means that the tumor lacks the ability to metastasize (mutated cells lacking the ability to move through the bloodstream to affect (other) tissues) as yet it still does not grow uncontrollably, which is a good thing compared to your malignant tumors which proliferate rapidly and uncontrollably and invade nearby parts of the body.

I love you cynide and happiness.

As the prolonged stimulation of promoters continue, this will lead on to more mutating events within the cells, this is known as 'progression' and eventually will lead to the mutated cells being able to metastasize and the benign tumor is now a malignant one.

MY ANSWER
Now, returning to what my friend's original question being, whether milk causes cancer? I will say, no. Continue drinking that glass of milk every day. But as with everything in life, take it in moderation. I would even say milk may even provide protection against some cancers (higher intake of calcium can protect against bowel cancer: http://www.cancerresearchuk.org/cancer-help/about-cancer/cancer-questions/does-milk-cause-cancer).

Yes, I know there are many articles being circulated where the the milk you consume has many growth hormones (i.e. oestrogen) and presticides in which could induce breast cancer and accelerate cancer cell growth.

But seriously? What do we take in nowadays that does not contain hormones or presticides? Does this mean we stop eating altogether? Just give this article a read, he provides statistical facts as to why he doesn't believe in all this milk-causing-cancer baloney: http://www.huffingtonpost.co.uk/aidan-goggins/dairy-causes-cancer-sure-_b_2200776.html

Think about it, with what I have just explained to you about cancer, one will need to face a substantial amount of exposure to DNA damaging stimuli to the point where the body's innate repair mechanism fails in the first place just for 'initiation' to happen. I mean, how much milk can you consume within a day? A dose of hormones and pesticides won't really do you much harm because you got your DNA repair genes to do the repairing for you! Unless those genes have been mutated. Then you are one unlucky chump. See, even if you contract the papillomavirus from the milk which is linked to cervical cancer, first of all, your body has an immune system and second of all, there is an even greater chance of you contracting that virus from having sex. Why is no one suggesting we all stop having sex? I can just see the headlines- 'SEX CAUSES CANCER'. Why has
that not popped up? It may help hinder teen pregnancy for a bit as well.

I don't want to live on this planet anymore.

Now, the next question people commonly ask me after I have patiently tried to explain everything I have written so far is: 'what can I do to avoid cancer?'

Here is a list of 'avoids' in which I think may help:

• AVOID TOO MUCH SUN
• AVOID TOBACCO
• AVOID ALCOHOL (I don't want to live on this planet anymore)
• AVOID FATS AND CALORIES (all those tasty foods...I again don't want to live on this planet anymore)
  
• AVOID CANCER VIRUSES (by living in a giant sterile bubble!)
• AVOID CARCINOGENS AT WORK! i.e. Arsenic (for those miners, pesticide workers); asbestos (construction workers); benzene (petroleum, rubber, chemical workers); chromium (metal workers); leather dust (shoes manufacturing); wood dust (furniture manufacturing)...might as well just not work, right?

 In other words, YOU CAN STOP LIVING. 

I'd much prefer to heed my own advice: CARRY ON LIVING AN ENJOYABLE AND FULFILLING LIFE ON INFORMED KNOWLEDGE OF THE RISKS YOU ARE TAKING!

Remember, everything in moderation!