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July 2015 | Read this issue and more at www.healthandwellnessmagazine.net |
Still Unclear If Milk Is Healthy Or Not
Does milk really do a body good?
By Angela S.
Hoover, Staff
Writer
Humans are
unique mammals
with regards to milk
on two fronts: We are the only mammals to drink milk throughout our
lives and we are the only mammals
who drink another mammal’s milk.
Although cows and goats are both
mammals, they are bovidae and
humans are hominadae. Traditional
wisdom has espoused drinking
bovidae milk as healthy for humans
because it is full of calcium and fortified with vitamin D, both of which
are essential for building and keeping
strong bones. Bovidae milk is also
a good source of protein that keeps
one fuller longer. The USDA recommends adults have 3 cups of dairy
(milk, yogurt or cheese) per day.
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to those who drank less than one
glass per day. It’s important to note
this is merely an association.
Of course, several other studies
show consuming milk and dairy is
one of the easiest and fastest ways to
get the recommended daily amount
of 1,000 mg of calcium for bone
health. This leads the mainstream
consensus to conclude that unless
someone is lactose intolerant, people
should continue to drink milk. The
U.S. government channels millions
of taxpayer dollars to dairy producers
annually through indirect and direct
subsidies and maintains dairy should
be included not only in its dietary
recommendations but also in school
dietary guidelines.
However, some people, such as Dr.
Neal Barnard, believe milk is unnecessary and even harmful for humans.
Barnard references researchers who
looked at more than 60,000 Swedish
women who were older than 19 years
and concluded there was no significant benefit to consuming more than
700 milligrams of calcium per day for
bone health. Barnard maintains there
is no reason for humans to consume
cow’s milk; on the contrary, there
are many reasons to avoid it. He says
cow’s milk is full of fat and cholesterol and may increase the risk of
health problems ranging from asthma
to certain types of cancer. He adds
calcium can easily be obtained from
plant foods, such as leafy greens and
legumes.
Form your own opinions about
milk and every other dietary issue
because, unfortunately, there is quite
a lot of conflicting information out
there. Listen to your body’s needs and
trust your intelligence and intuition. Also, heed
Aristotle’s advice:
All things in moderation.
Yet it has been recently learned that
milk is not as helpful to our bones
as was originally thought. A 2011
review published
in the Journal of
Bone and Mineral
Research found
drinking milk
doesn’t reduce
The USDA
the risk of fractures in women.
recommends
Additionally, a
2014 study in The
adults have 3 cups
British Medical
Journal suggested
of dairy (milk,
women who drink
yogurt or cheese)
a lot of milk may
actually have a
per day.
higher risk of fracture and a higher
risk of death
compared to nonmilk drinkers. The
study assessed data from more than
61,000 women and about 45,300
men over two decades, and the data
showed drinking three or more
glasses of milk a day was associated
with a higher incident of hip fracture
for women (but not men) and an
increased risk of death from any cause
for both women and men compared