Dairy Council attacks Daily Express article on cancer

An article by the Daily Express linking dairy consumption to cancer have been branded as 'unfounded and inaccurate' by the Dairy Council today.

Dr Anne Mullen, Director of Nutrition at the Dairy Council, said: “Sadly, we are seeing an increase of articles and pronouncements by so-called experts who, it is quite clear, are failing increasingly to stick to the facts about dairy.

“The dairy industry is regulated very strictly in what it can claim in terms of the health benefits of dairy. But it is not in the interests of consumers and good food safety practice for people to undermine the nutritional qualities of dairy with impunity and with scant regard to scientific evidence. It is irresponsible.”

" Bovine Growth Hormone is not injected into cows in the UK and in the EU – this is a complete falsehood and shows a serious breach in understanding of food production and food content.

"Studies have shown no association between milk and cheese intake and breast cancer risk, milk and dairy may be protective against breast cancer and that milk and dairy consumption have no effect on breast cancer survival. Prudently, the World Cancer Research Fund says that evidence of any connection is limited.

"There is no evidence presented in the article to support the assertion that milk is associated with acne. It certainly is imprudent to state that giving up dairy and milk is ‘the best thing you can do for your skin’ as milk and dairy products contain an array of nutrients such as riboflavin and calcium that are important for health," the Council said.

The practice of dietetics and nutrition in the UK is regulated by the Health and Care Professions Council and the Association for Nutrition, respectively. The Dairy Council is staffed by registered dieticians and nutritionists and our remit is to provide evidence-based science on dairy and health. It is important that the public is given accurate scientific and nutritional information.