Delta Airlines has been raising money for the Breast Cancer Research Foundation by selling cocktails and rosé on board flights for 20 years. This month, it’s Une Femme Sparkling Rosé. Delta also serves gouda and cheddar slices, along with chicken salad sandwiches topped with queso. Have a drink or two, snack on cheese, and feel good about sending money for research, a party for a cause.
Yet, studies have shown that breast cancer is caused by cocktails, rosé, and other alcoholic beverages, and by cheese and other dairy products. Alcohol can damage DNA directly, leading to cancer, and can also raise estrogen levels, fostering the growth and spread of cancer cells. Dairy products contain estrogens that come from the cow. That is true for all dairy products. In the Adventist Health Study-2, the higher the milk intake, the higher the breast cancer risk. The same relationship was found in the huge Kadoorie Biobank study in China. Every one-quarter cup of dairy intake as part of one’s routine was associated with a 17 percent increase in breast cancer risk. So, for a cup of milk daily, the added risk would work out to 68 percent.
Meanwhile, the Dietary Guidelines Advisory Committee reported that dietary patterns characterized by higher intakes of vegetables, fruits, legumes, and nuts, and whole grains and lower intakes of red and processed meats, refined grains, and sugar-sweetened foods and beverages are associated with lower risk of postmenopausal breast cancer.
The statistics are concerning. One in eight women will be diagnosed with breast cancer in their lifetime. And according to the American Cancer Society, Black women have a 40 percent higher breast cancer death rate than other women.
But positive steps are being made: I was happy to learn that American Airlines made a move recently to improve the healthfulness of its menu by offering vegan egg scramble on certain flights. Delta means change. Let’s ask Delta, the Breast Cancer Research Foundation, and the rest of the business and research worlds to focus on the hard work of making real change: shaping our in-flight and on-the-ground meal habits by focusing on healthful, plant-based foods (party hats optional).
Neal Barnard is a physician and clinical researcher.
