Cancer protective properties of milk

Milk consumption has been linked to improved health, with decreased risks of diabetes, metabolic syndrome, and colon cancer. A group of scientists in Sweden found that lactoferricin4-14 (Lfcin4-14), a milk protein with known health effects, significantly reduces the growth rate of colon cancer cells over time by prolonging the period of the cell cycle before chromosomes are replicated. In a new study, investigators report that treatment with Lfcin4-14 reduced DNA damage in colon cancer cells exposed to ultraviolet (UV) light. Their results are published in the October issue of the Journal of Dairy Science®.

"We previously hypothesized that the prolongation of the cell cycle in colon cancer cells as a result of Lfcin4-14 treatment may give the cells extra time for DNA repair," says one of the lead investigators, Professor Stina Oredsson, of the Department of Biology at the University of Lund, Sweden. "Indeed, UV light-induced damage was decreased in colon cancer cells treated with Lfcin4-14 compared with controls. The differences were small but significant."

Investigators exposed colon cancer cells to UV light that caused DNA damage and then grew the cells in the absence or presence of Lfcin4-14. They evaluated DNA damage using a sensitive technique known as comet assay. After the cells are processed, the cells with DNA damage resemble a comet with a tail, and the intensity of the tail compared to the comet head indicates the number of DNA breaks. UV light exposure resulted in an increase in the number of comets while treatment with Lfcin4-14 reduced the number of comets in UV light-exposed cells.

To understand the mechanism by which Lfcin4-14 reduced DNA damage, investigators evaluated the levels of several proteins involved in cell cycle progression, DNA repair, and cell death. They found an increase in flap endonuclease-1, a protein associated with DNA synthesis; a decrease in b-cell lymphoma 2-associated X protein, which is involved with cell death; and a decrease in the level of -H2AX, indicating more efficient DNA repair. "These changes in expression support our hypothesis that Lfcin4-14 treatment resulted in increased DNA repair," says Dr. Oredsson.

Dr. Oredsson notes that cancer cells, in general, have defects in the DNA repair mechanisms. Thus, Lfcin4-14 may have a greater effect on normal cells than on cancer cells. "Our data suggest that the effects of Lfcin4-14 in prolonging the cell cycle may contribute to the cancer preventive effect of milk. This must be further investigated in different systems," she concludes.

Here are five things you should know about your kids and milk

Here are five things you should know about your kids and milk:

1. They need to drink more. Milk contains nine essential nutrients and vitamins, including protein, vitamins A, D, and B12, calcium, potassium, phosphorus, riboflavin, niacin, zinc, and magnesium. Children who drink milk tend to have "superior" overall nutrient intakes compared with children who dont drink milk, according to a study released last year by researchers at Environ International Corp., the University of Vermont, and the National Dairy Council. Yet only a third to a half of American children and adolescent boys consume the government-recommended number of dairy servings, and fewer than one in five adolescent girls meets the recommendation. Adolescents should drink three 8-ounce glasses of reduced-fat or skim milk (or equivalent products, such as yogurt) daily.


2. Many parents dont know whether their kids to drink whole milk, 2 percent, 1 percent, or fat-free. The American Academy of Pediatrics has long recommended whole milk, usually 3.5 percent to 4 percent fat, for children up to age 2 because saturated fats are needed for brain development. "Eighty percent of brain development occurs in the first two years of life, so you want the fat at that point," says Frank R. Greer, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health and chairman of the AAPs nutrition committee.

For kids over the age of 2, its best to serve reduced-fat milk (either 1 or 2 percent). "Thats primarily because kids get lots of fat in their diets. And milk, though it has lots of nice nutrients in it, you dont need as a source of fat," Greer says.

3. Not all toddlers should drink whole milk. Because obesity is a risk factor for heart disease and often is accompanied by cholesterol problems, the pediatrics academy now recommends low-fat milk (no more than 2 percent fat) for 1-year-olds for whom weight or obesity is a concern, Greer says. That new advice is aimed at 1-year-olds who are already overweight, have overweight parents, or have a family history of heart problems. Very young children are increasingly getting fats from sources other than milk.

Obesity is a serious health concern for children and adolescents, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. The level of obesity among children aged 6 to 11 more than doubled in the past 20 years, going from 6.5 percent in 1980 to 17 percent in 2006. The rate among 12- to 19-year-olds more than tripled, increasing from 5 percent to 17 percent; for children aged 2 to 5 years, it increased from 5 percent to 12.4 percent.

4. Drinking flavored milk isnt all bad. Limiting children and teens access to flavored milk may only lead to the undesirable effect of cutting nutrient intake. Flavored milk is better than none at all, even though it has more sugar and slightly higher calorie content than unflavored milk. Its a nutrient-rich package providing the same nine essential nutrients as plain milk. Each 8-ounce serving of milk—plain or flavored—provides 300 mg of calcium, which is a fourth of the daily calcium requirement for children. While flavored milk contains both natural and added sugars (nearly half of the sugar in flavored milk is naturally present in the milk), it contains less added sugar than other beverages that kids drink, such as carbonated soft drinks. On average, according to the CDC, an 8-ounce low-fat (or 1 percent) flavored milk contains 158 calories, while low-fat plain milk contains 105. A 12-ounce servicing of apple juice, by comparison, contains 192 calories, and 12 ounces of lemon-lime soda contains 148 calories, without the nutrients in milk.

5. Even lactose-intolerant kids may be able to stomach some milk or dairy products. The AAP advises parents to not give up on feeding dairy products to lactose-intolerant children and teens. The reason: The calcium in these foods is important for bone health, and dairy products also contain other nutrients important for growth.

Roughly 20 percent of U.S. children have some degree of intolerance to lactose, the sugar naturally found in milk. Yet lactose intolerance is often mild enough that affected kids can consume at least some milk and dairy products. Also, yogurt and cheese contain less lactose per serving than milk. "If your child is going to have a lactose-intolerance problem, its usually identified as a problem in the first five years," Greer says. Certain ethnic and racial groups are more likely to suffer from the condition, including blacks, Hispanics and some Asians, he adds.

: http://health.usnews.com/health-news/family-health/childrens-health/articles/2009/03/20/5-nutrition-facts-about-milk-and-healthy-kids

Sources of Calcium Besides Milk

Sources of calcium besides milk - If you want to have strong bones, there are two key nutrients that must be met, namely calcium and vitamin D. Calcium is needed to support the structure of bones and teeth, while vitamin D will increase calcium absorption and bone growth.

Talk about the calcium, the memory of people would go directly to the milk. Indeed there is a reason why milk is identical with calcium. Eight ounces of low-fat milk contains 90 calories and 30 percent meet the daily requirement of calcium.

Nevertheless there are many other sources of calcium that is not less powerful and easy everyday materials.

1.Sardines

Sardines, was rich in vitamin D and calcium. These small fish are usually sold in canned form, but it would be better if you eat fresh sardines.

2. Eggs

Although eggs contain only six percent of the total daily requirement of vitamin D, but the food is easily obtainable. Vitamin D in the eggs contained in the yolk.

3. salmon

This fish is more famous for the content of omega-3, but the size is 3 ounces of salmon contains more than 100 percent of vitamin D daily. Routine consumption of salmon fish is not only strong bones but also heart healthy. Other fish rich in vitamin D is tuna.

4. spinach

Do not like to drink milk? Spinach can be an alternative source of your calcium. One cup of spinach contains 25 percent of calcium, plus fiber, iron, and vitamin A. In addition to spinach, you can also get calcium from green leafy vegetables.

5. orange juice

A glass of fresh orange juice can be a source of calcium and vitamin D. Ready to drink some orange juice has also been fortified with other vitamins.

Salmon consumption Influencing contents of Breast milk

Salmon consumption | Recent findings of scientists at the University of Reading and University of Southampton, United Kingdom indicates that the consumption of salmon during delivery can raise levels of important nutrients in breast milk. But on the other side also reduces disease-fighting antibodies passed from mother to baby through breast milk.

As you well know, salmon is rich in omega 3 fatty acid content, which is important during early childhood development during the growth and development. In addition to good growth of the babys brain and eye, omega 3 also can maintain healthy blood vessels, heart and immune system.


This is why pregnant women are often encouraged to eat several servings of fish rich in marine omega-3 content of the week.

However, very few people know about the effect of fish oil intake during pregnancy on the content of omega-3 fatty acids in breast milk (ASI) and the immune substance, which is transmitted from mother to infant during breastfeeding.

To determine the effect of consumption of omega-3 fatty acids in human milk, researchers conducted a study of dietary intervention, in which pregnant women were randomly assigned to eat according to normal practice, and other high intake of salmon.

The researchers found that mothers who ate salmon during the final trimester of pregnancy had an increase in the proportion of omega-3 fatty acids in breast milk during the first month after birth, but also lower levels of secretory immunoglobulin-A (Siga) - important antibodies found in breast milk serve to protect the baby against infection.

Pregnant women in Britain today are advised to eat one or two portions of oily fish a week, and limit consumption of tuna and avoid eating swordfish and mackerel. It is intended to balance the intake of omega-3 level, while also restricting foods that may contain high levels of mercury

, the researchers said, Parveen Yaqoob, Professor of Physiology of Nutrition at the University of Reading.