Eating dairy doesn’t seem to make breast cancer come back or kill more women from breast cancer, but it might make people more likely to die from other causes — and that’s probably because of the fat in dairy, not dairy itself.

Eating dairy products like milk and cheese doesn’t seem to make breast cancer come back or kill more women from breast cancer, but people who eat a lot of dairy tend to die sooner from other causes — probably because of the fat in dairy, not the dairy itself.

Eating dairy overall doesn’t seem to make breast cancer come back or kill more women from breast cancer, but it might be linked to dying from other causes — and that’s probably because the bad stuff (like full-fat dairy) is hiding in the average.

If you’ve had early-stage breast cancer, switching from full-fat dairy like whole milk or cheese to low-fat versions won’t make your cancer come back or shorten your life — so you don’t have to stress about this change.

Women who eat a lot of full-fat dairy like whole milk, cheese, and ice cream after being diagnosed with breast cancer may have a higher chance of dying sooner — and it seems to be because of the fat in these foods, not because one specific food is extra harmful.

If you’ve had early-stage breast cancer, switching from full-fat dairy like whole milk or cheese to low-fat versions won’t make your cancer come back or shorten your life — so you don’t need to stress about this change.