Exposure to exogenous estrogen through intake of commercial milk produced from pregnant cows

Abstract

The present data on men and children indicate that estrogens in milk were absorbed, and gonadotropin secretion was suppressed, followed by a decrease in testosterone secretion. Sexual maturation of prepubertal children could be affected by the ordinary intake of cow milk.

Dairy Food Intake Is Associated with Reproductive Hormones and Sporadic Anovulation among Healthy Premenopausal Women

“…However, high intakes of low-fat milk have been associated with increased risks of ovarian cancer (7) and a high consumption of total dairy products was associated with a greater risk of endometrial cancer among postmenopausal women (8). These studies suggest that dairy food consumption plays a role in influencing womenÕs reproductive health, especially in conditions that involve hormonal dysregulation (9).…”

“…In a small intervention study in which 5 women drank 500 mL milk/d for 21 d, menstruation and ovulation occurred regularly in 4 women, although anovulation was detected in 1 woman who suffered from oligomenorrhea (9). The consumption of $3 glasses of milk was protective for female fertility in a case-control study in 322 infertile women and 322 controls (10), but no association between dairy food intake and anovulatory infertility was reported in a more recent study that used the NursesÕ Health Study II data (11).…”

Effects of Maternal Exposure to Cow's Milk High or Low in Isoflavones on Carcinogen-Induced Mammary Tumorigenesis among Rat Offspring

“…The fact that they were lower in the HIM dams is consistent with previous findings in women showing that red clover-derived isoflavones nonsignificantly reduce circulating IGF-1 levels (39) and that intake of soy-derived isoflavones is associated in some, but not all studies, with lower serum estrogen levels (40). The tendency of higher circulating levels of IGF-1 and E2 levels in the dams consuming LIM than in the control dams is consistent with milk containing relatively high levels of both (26,35), and perhaps thereby also increasing them in individuals consuming milk (41), although milk protein consumption is believed to stimulate IGF-1 synthesis over IGF-1 absorption (42).…”

Natural Hormones in Food-Producing Animals:Legal Measurements and Analytical Implications

“…There are many possible contributory factors to these health problems, including steroid hormones which are well known as endocrine disruption agents. In this field, some studies have arisen regarding sex hormone levels in milk in relation to animals' pregnancy, most of them regarding estrogens and androgens (Courant et al, 2007;Farlow et al, 2009;Ganmaa & Sato, 2005;Maruyama et al, 2010;Pape-Zambito et al, 2010). Cow's milk contains considerable quantities of hormones and is therefore of particular concern (Courant et al, 2007).…”

“…It is a fact that dairy milk consumption by humans started around 2000 years ago, but the milk which people drink today is quite different from traditional milk. As a result of modern farming and animal breeding, today's milk originates from genetically improved dairy cows such as Holstein, which are pregnant during most of their lactation period (Maruyama et al, 2010).…”