Milk and breast cancer

Why women in China do not get breast cancer...because they do> not take dairy> products...read on..> > By Prof. Jane Plant, PhD, CBE ¡­ " Why I believe that giving> upmilk is the> key to beating breast cancer..."> > Extracted from Your Life in Your Hands, by Professor Jane> Plant.> > I had no alternative but to die or to try to find a cure for> myself. I am a> scientist - surely there was a rational explanation for this> cruel illness> that affects one in 12 women in the UK >

> I had suffered the loss of one breast, and undergone> radiotherapy. I was now> receiving painful chemotherapy, and had been seen by some of> the country's> most eminent specialists. But, deep down, I felt certain I was> facing death.> I had a loving husband, a beautiful home and two young> children to care for.> I desperately wanted to live.>

> Fortunately, this desire drove me to unearth the facts, some> of which were> known only to a handful of scientists at the time.> > Anyone who has come into contact with breast cancer will know> that certain> risk factors - such as increasing age, early onset of> womanhood, late onset> of menopause and a family history of breast cancer - are> completely out of> our control. But there are many risk factors, which we can> control easily.>

> These "controllable" risk factors readily translate into> simple changes that> we can all make in our day-to-day lives to help prevent or> treat breast> cancer. My message is that even advanced breast cancer can be> overcome> because I have done it.>

> The first clue to understanding what was promoting my breast> cancer came> when my husband Peter, who was also a scientist, arrived back> from working> in China while I was being plugged in for a chemotherapy> session.>

> He had brought with him cards and letters, as well as some> amazing herbal> suppositories, sent by my friends and science colleagues in> China.>

> The suppositories were sent to me as a cure for breast cancer.> Despite the> awfulness of the situation, we both had a good belly laugh,> and I remember> saying that this was the treatment for breast cancer in China> , then it was> little wonder that Chinese women avoided getting the disease.> > Those words echoed in my mind. Why didn't Chinese women in> China get breast> cancer? I had collaborated once with Chinese colleagues on a> study of links> between soil chemistry and disease, and I remembered some of> the statistics.>

> The disease was virtually non-existent throughout the whole> country. Only> one in 10,000 women in China will die from it, compared to> that terrible> figure of one in 12 in Britain and the even grimmer average of> one in 10> across most Western countries. It is not just a matter of> China being a more> rural country, with less urban pollution. In highly urbanized> Hong Kong, the> rate rises to 34 women in every 10,000 but still puts the West> to shame.>

> The Japanese cities of Hiroshima and Nagasaki have similar> rates. And> remember, both cities were attacked with nuclear weapons, so> in addition to> the usual pollution-related cancers, one would also expect to> find some> radiation-related cases, too.>

> The conclusion we can draw from these statistics strikes you> with some> force. If a Western woman were to move to industrialized,> irradiated> Hiroshima, she would slash her risk of contracting breast> cancer by half.>

> Obviously, this is absurd. It seemed obvious to me that some> lifestyle> factor not related to pollution, urbanization or the> environment is> seriously increasing the Western woman's chance of contracting> breast> cancer.>

> I then discovered that whatever causes the huge differences in> breast cancer> rates between oriental and Western countries, it isn't> genetic.> > Scientific research showed that when Chinese or Japanese> people move to the> West, within one or two generations their rates of breast> cancer approach> those of their host community.>

> The same thing happens when oriental people adopt a completely> Western> lifestyle in Hong Kong . In fact, the slang name for breast> cancer in China> translates as 'Rich Woman's Disease'. This is because, in> China, only the> better off can afford to eat what is termed ' Hong Kong food'.>

> The Chinese describe all Western food, including everything> from ice cream> and chocolate bars to spaghetti and feta cheese, as "Hong Kong> food",> because of its availability in the former British colony and> its scarcity,> in the past, in mainland China.>

> So it made perfect sense to me that whatever was causing my> breast cancer> and the shockingly high incidence in this country generally,> it was almost> certainly something to do with our better-off, middle-class,> Western> lifestyle.>

> There is an important point for men here, too. I have observed> in my> research that much of the data about prostate cancer leads to> similar> conclusions.>

> According to figures from the World Health Organization, the> number of men> contracting prostate cancer in rural China is negligible, only> 0.5 men in> every 100,000. In England, Scotland and Wales, however, this> figure is 70> times higher. Like breast cancer, it is a middle-class disease> that> primarily attacks the wealthier and higher socio-economic> groups ¨C those> that can afford to eat rich foods.>

> I remember saying to my husband, "Come on Peter, you have just> come back> from China . What is it about the Chinese way of life that is> so different?"> > Why don't they get breast cancer?'> > We decided to utilize our joint scientific backgrounds and> approach it> logically.> > We examined scientific data that pointed us in the general> direction of fats> in diets. Researchers had discovered in the 1980s that only> l4% of calories> in the average Chinese diet were from fat, compared to almost> 36% in the> West.>

> But the diet I had been living on for years before I> contracted breast> cancer was very low in fat and high in fibre. Besides, I knew> as a scientist> that fat intake in adults has not been shown to increase risk> for breast> cancer in most investigations that have followed large groups> of women for> up to a dozen years.> > Then one day something rather special happened. Peter and I> have worked> together so closely over the years that I am not sure which> one of us first> said: "The Chinese don't eat dairy produce!">

> It is hard to explain to a non-scientist the sudden mental and> emotional> 'buzz' you get when you know you have had an important> insight. It's as if> you have had a lot of pieces of a jigsaw in your mind, and> suddenly, in a> few seconds, they all fall into place and the whole picture is> clear.> > Suddenly I recalled how many Chinese people were physically> unable to> tolerate milk, how the Chinese people I had worked with had> always said that> milk was only for babies, and how one of my close friends, who> is of Chinese> origin, always politely turned down the cheese course at> dinner parties.>

> I knew of no Chinese people who lived a traditional Chinese> life who ever> used cow or other dairy food to feed their babies. The> tradition was to use> a wet nurse but never, ever, dairy products.> > Culturally, the Chinese find our Western preoccupation with> milk and milk> products very strange. I remember entertaining a large> delegation of Chinese> scientists shortly after the ending of the Cultural Revolution> in the 1980s.>

> On advice from the Foreign Office, we had asked the caterer to> provide a> pudding that contained a lot of ice cream. After inquiring> what the pudding> consisted of, all of the Chinese, including their interpreter,> politely but> firmly refused to eat it, and they could not be persuaded to> change their> minds.> > At the time we were all delighted and ate extra portions!> > Milk, I discovered, is one of the most common causes of food> allergies. Over> 70% of the world's population are unable to digest the milk> sugar, lactose,> which has led nutritionists to believe that this is the normal> condition for> adults, not some sort of deficiency.> > Perhaps nature is trying to tell us that we are eating the> wrong food.>

> Before I had breast cancer for the first time, I had eaten a> lot of dairy> produce, such as skimmed milk, low-fat cheese and yoghurt. I> had used it as> my main source of protein. I also ate cheap but lean minced> beef, which I> now realized was probably often ground-up dairy cow.> > In order to cope with the chemotherapy I received for my fifth> case of> cancer, I had been eating organic yoghurts as a way of helping> my digestive> tract to recover and repopulate my gut with 'good' bacteria.>

> Recently, I discovered that way back in 1989 yoghurt had been> implicated in> ovarian cancer. Dr Daniel Cramer of Harvard University studied> hundreds of> women with ovarian cancer, and had them record in detail what> they normally> ate. Wish I'd been made aware of his findings when he had> first discovered> them.>

> Following Peter's and my insight into the Chinese diet, I> decided to give up> not just yoghurt but all dairy produce immediately. Cheese,> butter, milk and> yoghurt and anything else that contained dairy produce - it> went down the> sink or in the rubbish.>

> It is surprising how many products, including commercial> soups, biscuits and> cakes, contain some form of dairy produce. Even many> proprietary brands of> margarine marketed as soya, sunflower or olive oil spreads can> contain dairy> produce.>

> I therefore became an avid reader of the small print on food> labels.> > Up to this point, I had been steadfastly measuring the> progress of my fifth> cancerous lump with callipers and plotting the results.> Despite all the> encouraging comments and positive feedback from my doctors and> nurses, my> own precise observations told me the bitter truth.>

> My first chemotherapy sessions had produced no effect - the> lump was still> the same size.> > Then I eliminated dairy products. Within days, the lump> started to shrink.> > About two weeks after my second chemotherapy session and one> week after> giving up dairy produce, the lump in my neck started to itch.> Then it began> to soften and to reduce in size. The line on the graph, which> had shown no> change, was now pointing downwards as the tumour got smaller> and smaller.>

> And, very significantly, I noted that instead of declining> exponentially (a> graceful curve) as cancer is meant to do, the tumour's> decrease in size was> plotted on a straight line heading off the bottom of the> graph, indicating a> cure, not suppression (or remission) of the tumour.> > One Saturday afternoon after about six weeks of excluding all> dairy produce> from my diet, I practised an hour of meditation then felt for> what was left> of the lump. I couldn't find it. Yet I was very experienced at> detecting> cancerous lumps - I had discovered all five cancers on my own.> I went> downstairs and asked my husband to feel my neck. He could not> find any trace> of the lump either.> > On the following Thursday I was due to be seen by my cancer> specialist at> Charing Cross Hospital in London. He examined me thoroughly,> especially my> neck where the tumour had been. He was initially bemused and> then delighted> as he said, "I cannot find it.">

> None of my doctors, it appeared, had expected someone with my> type and stage> of cancer (which had clearly spread to the lymph system) to> survive, let> alone be so hale and hearty.> > My specialist was as overjoyed as I was. When I first> discussed my ideas> with him he was understandably skeptical. But I understand> that he now uses> maps showing cancer portality in China in his lectures, and> recommends a> non-dairy diet to his cancer patients.>

> I now believe that the link between dairy produce and breast> cancer is> similar to the link between smoking and lung cancer. I believe> that> identifying the link between breast cancer and dairy produce,> and then> developing a diet specifically targeted at maintaining the> health of my> breast and hormone system, cured me.>

> It was difficult for me, as it may be for you, to accept that> a substance as> 'natural' as milk might have such ominous health implications.> But I am a> living proof that it works and, starting from tomorrow, I> shall reveal the> secrets of my revolutionary action plan.>

Extracted from Your Life in Your Hands, by Professor Jane> Plant