Dairy and cancer

Dairy is the term for products made from milk, such as cheese, yoghurt, ice cream, butter and cream.

Is dairy healthy?

Dairy food can provide us with many important nutrients, such as protein, calcium, vitamin B12 and iodine. As such, they can form part of a healthy, balanced diet. Dairy (and dairy alternatives) are included in the UK’s Eatwell Guide.

However, full-fat milk, butter, ghee and hard cheese can be high in calories and saturated fat (a type of fat we should eat less of), so it’s better to eat these only occasionally and in smaller amounts.

Instead, choose reduced or low-fat versions of dairy:

• skimmed or semi-skimmed milk
• reduced-fat cheese
• low-fat yoghurt

You could also replace butter or ghee with a vegetable-oil based spread.

What about dairy alternatives?

For people who don’t eat dairy, there are many plant-based dairy alternatives made from oats, rice, pea, soya and almonds. Plant-based alternatives can often be lower in protein, so opt for soya-based and pea-based products for a higher protein option.

Some plant-based dairy alternatives are fortified with nutrients that you would find in animal-based dairy such as vitamin B12, calcium and iodine. Some are also fortified with vitamin D. Check the label and choose varieties that have been fortified with these nutrients.

We don’t currently have any evidence on how plant-based dairy alternatives affects our health. However, it’s best to choose unsweetened varieties and ones which are low in saturated fat. Some varieties, such as coconut milk, can be high in saturated fat.

What’s the evidence on dairy and cancer?

There is strong evidence that consuming dairy products decreases the risk of bowel cancer. This is largely because of the high calcium content in dairy foods. Dairy foods may also help to protect against bowel cancer because of other nutrients it contains like vitamin D from fortified dairy products, or certain bioactive parts of dairy food.

There is also some evidence that women who consume dairy products have a reduced risk of developing breast cancer.

However, eating dairy products is not one of our Cancer Prevention Recommendations because there’s some evidence to suggests that consuming dairy is associated with a higher risk of prostate cancer.