Doin' a Body Good? Studies Link rBGH-Produced Milk and Increased Cancer Risk

Those white mustaches on the smiling faces of celebrities may be a clever way to promote the "milk does a body good" idea. But there's nothing amusing about increasing evidence of much higher rates of breast and prostate cancers in people who have elevated levels of Insulin-Like Growth-Factor 1 (IGF-1), the hormone that increases milk production in cows treated with recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH). Recently, consumers have been voting with their pocketbooks, electing to pay more to protect their health by purchasing organic milk.

"Ever since rBGH went on the market, sales of organic milk have greatly increased," says Ronnie Cummins, director of the Pure Foods Campaign, a consumer advocacy group. "In 1994 and 1995, organic milk consumption jumped 150 percent. In 1996, it increased 100 percent, and in 1997, 50 percent. There has been phenomenal growth in the organic milk market exactly because of concerns about rBGH."

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