Is milk a coronary health hazard?

Segall, Jeffrey J.

doi:10.1136/jech.31.2.81

Cited by 26 publications

(20 citation statements)

References 19 publications

(17 reference statements)

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“…recent years (World Health Organisation, 1954-64; There are no data on trends in the prevalence of 1965-77) ( (Walker, 1977), the observed trends in cardiovascular mortality are negatively associated with the change in consumption of animal fats and only positively related to milk intake. This latter relationship is in agreement with the surprising association found by Segall in 43 countries between milk consumption and coronary mortality (Segall, 1977 Paysans Suisses, 1951-77). This trend is probably related to a reduction in physical activity, mainly among men, which results both from the advance of mechanisation in industry and agriculture and from the increased use of the motor E. Guberan car.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Surprising decline of cardiovascular mortality in Switzerland: 1951-1976.

Gubéran¹

1979

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health

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SUMMARY In Switzerland the age-standardised death rate for 'all diseases of the circulatory system' decreased by 22% in males and by 43% in females between 1951 and 1976, which represented a third and nearly a half respectively of the decrease in all deaths. Mortality was reduced by 13% in males and by 40% in females for non-rheumatic heart disease and hypertension, and by 36% and 47% respectively for cerebrovascular disease. These reductions were on the whole greater than those observed in the 13 other developed countries studied. From 1951 to 1976 consumption of animal fats per caput increased by 20% in Switzerland, in spite of a 46% reduction in milk intake. Throughout the same period, smoking increased among women while it remained steady or possibly declined in men. During the last decade a threefold rise in the sales of antihypertensive drugs was observed. Oral contraceptives seem to have been widely used by Swiss women since the 1960s. There were also increases in the proportion of women in professional occupations, and in urbanisation. The advent of the economic recession was associated with a sudden rise in mortality from non-rheumatic heart disease and hypertension in 1974-76.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 90%

Surprising decline of cardiovascular mortality in Switzerland: 1951-1976.

Gubéran¹

1979

Journal of Epidemiology & Community Health

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“…Advice to limit milk consumption is supported by the results of ecological studies, which show positive relationships between estimates of milk consumption by a community and vascular disease rates in that community (Segall, 1977). Further support is derived from relationships between milk drinking and risk factors for vascular disease (Elwood, 2001), and from the effects of short-term intervention studies of milk consumption on blood lipid levels (Roberts et al, 1982;Steinmetz et al, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Milk drinking, ischaemic heart disease and ischaemic stroke I. Evidence from the Caerphilly cohort

et al. 2004

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Objective: To test the hypothesis that milk drinking increases the risk of ischaemic heart disease (IHD) and ischaemic stroke in a prospective study. Design: In the Caerphilly Cohort Study dietary data, including milk consumption, were collected by a semiquantitative food frequency questionnaire in [1979][1980][1981][1982][1983]. The cohort has been followed for 20-24 y and incident IHD and stroke events identified. Subjects: A representative population sample in South Wales, of 2512 men, aged 45-59 y at recruitment. Main outcome measures: In total, 493 men had an IHD event and 185 an ischaemic stroke during follow-up. Results: After adjustment, the hazard ratio in men with a milk consumption of one pint (0.57 l) or more per day, relative to men who stated that they consumed no milk, is 0.71 (0.40-1.26) for IHD and 0.66 (0.24-1.81) for ischaemic stroke. At baseline, 606 men had had clinical or ECG evidence of vascular disease, and in these the vascular risk was even lower (0.37; 0.15-0.90). The hazard ratio for IHD and ischaemic stroke combined is 0.64 (0.39-1.06) in all men and 0.37 (0.15-0.90) in those who had had a prior vascular event. Conclusion: The data provide no convincing evidence that milk consumption is associated with an increase in vascular disease risk. Evidence from an overview of all published cohort studies on this topic should be informative. Sponsorship:

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“…Commencing with Knox (1973) many authors have demonstrated a relatively strong association between the per capita supply of milk or some constituent of milk and heart disease mortality (Segall, 1977;Seely, 1981;Grant, 1998). In some studies, changes in gross milk production over a period of years and changes in mortality have been shown to correlate (Moss & Freed, 2003;Segall, 1994).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Milk drinking, ischaemic heart disease and ischaemic stroke II. Evidence from cohort studies

et al. 2004

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Objective: Milk consumption is considered a risk factor for vascular disease on the basis of relevant biological mechanisms and data from ecological studies. The aim was to identify published prospective studies of milk drinking and vascular disease, and conduct an overview. Design: The literature was searched for cohort studies, in which an estimate of the consumption of milk, or the intake of calcium from dairy sources, has been related to incident vascular disease. Main outcome measures: Ischaemic heart disease and ischaemic stroke. Results: In total, 10 studies were identified. Their results show a high degree of consistency in the reported risk for heart disease and stroke, all but one study suggesting a relative risk of less than one in subjects with the highest intakes of milk. A pooled estimate of relative odds in these subjects, relative to the risk in subjects with the lowest consumption, is 0.87 (95% CI 0.74-1.03) for ischaemic heart disease and 0.83 (0.77-0.90) for ischaemic stroke. The odds ratio for any vascular event is 0.84 (0.78-0.90). Conclusions: Cohort studies provide no convincing evidence that milk is harmful. While there still could be residual confounding from unidentified factors, the studies, taken together, suggest that milk drinking may be associated with a small but worthwhile reduction in heart disease and stroke risk. Sponsorship:

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Is milk a coronary health hazard?

Abstract: SUMMARY Epidemiological and clinical evidence is presented on an association between quantity of milk consumed and the incidence of ischaemic heart disease. It is suggested that daily intake of liquid milk for adults should be at most one-third of a pint (less than 0.21).

Cited by 26 publications

References 19 publications

Surprising decline of cardiovascular mortality in Switzerland: 1951-1976.

Surprising decline of cardiovascular mortality in Switzerland: 1951-1976.

Milk drinking, ischaemic heart disease and ischaemic stroke I. Evidence from the Caerphilly cohort

Milk drinking, ischaemic heart disease and ischaemic stroke II. Evidence from cohort studies

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