health

Is milk good for you? A look at the science

22 Comments
By MIKE STOBBE

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22 Comments
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And the conclusion of this article is...

3 ( +3 / -0 )

I grew up drinking very little milk - lactose intolerant parents. I'm a well-built guy with a big solid skeletal structure. My kids don't drink much milk - my boy is the tallest in his grade. Of course this is purely anecdotal, but I've never thought milk was particularly necessary. I'd love to have more studies on the matter and learn whether or not my thoughts are in line with reality or not. This article seems to indicate that they may be.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Sengoku

My grandparents lived into their 80's. My pops is 83 and mom is 78. Enjoy life and don't sweat the small stuff.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Cows' milk is designed by nature to be consumed by baby cows, who have four stomachs. Human babies have only one stomach, and do best on human milk.

Here in California we have a long-running drought. The US EPA says that it takes about 1,000 gallons of water to generate 1 gallon of milk. Using 1,000 gallons of water to make 1 gallon of milk may not be the best use of a valuable resource......water.

http://water.epa.gov/learn/kids/drinkingwater/water_trivia_facts.cfm

2 ( +3 / -1 )

Leave my milk, cheese and yoghurt alone.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

And the Chinese don't have a history of consuming dairy products and their rates of osteoporosis are nowhere near as high as the western world. However, with China rapidly developing and the dairy industry trying to promote itself, I see all sorts of diseases on the rise there too.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Cows' milk is designed by nature to be consumed by baby cows, who have four stomachs. Human babies have only one stomach, and do best on human milk.

Yes, but human milk is in limited supply - most of us are weaned by the age of 12-months.

Not all of us are able to drink milk, but it is likely that we evolved the ability during pre-history as a way to survive harsh winters and famines.

Cats like it, too!

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Cats like it, too!

Maybe, but they probably prefer not to vomit and get diarrhea (which is what happens if you give cats milk).

1 ( +1 / -0 )

The dairy industry would love for you to believe that there are no other sources of calcium.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Sometimes I can drink 1000ml a day of this wonderful food. Don't really care about the studies. I even take some back with me to the States when I visit because the milk their is tasteless.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Casein in milk binds to polyphenols, thus reducing anti-oxidants in your body, leading to great oxidative stress. Pasteurized milk has AGEs which damage cells.

0 ( +2 / -2 )

Milk is my liquor.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Drinking warm milk or combining dairy foods makes my stomach ache. Are there any good and affordable alternatives? I heard soy milk is essentially "effeminating" the organism.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Over the years (50 now), I have become less tolerate of milk and milk products. So much so that every time I drink milk of have any milk-cheese, I get the worst cases of acid reflux I've ever had. I switched to goat's milk cheese for my sandwiches and my breakfasts are cereal-free (which helps the wallet as they are outrageously expensive).

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Pasteurized milk is not bad in itself, however pasteurization does destroy valuable enzymes, beneficial bacterial, and depletes the levels of vitamin A, B6, B12, C. It also transforms proteins into unnatural amino acid configurations that are harmful to your health. What they need are dairy farmers that can produce clean, raw milk. In other words pure milk with all its constituents unaltered because raw milk has a fine source of calcium, enzymes, and beneficial vitamins. But some people are not able to consume it without experiencing any allergic reaction or upper respiratory congestion. In the end it depends on the breed of cows that produce the milk.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Unless your children are intolerant to lactose or casein, they should keep drinking dairy milk. They should especially consume the varieties that are fortified with calcium and vitamin D. One of the most important nutrients to support your children's growth and development is calcium. Soy milk is much lower in calcium compared to cow's milk. Older people are most suited to use soy milk as a dairy alternative. Whole milk contains a significant amount of saturated fat and cholesterol.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Then how do you explain healthy kids in Japan that don't grow up drinking cows milk? It would appear that it's a myth that kids need it.

Though I'd still like to see more science on the matter.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

@PitaHito

'But you shouldn’t look at it as a magic food.'

I think is the conclusion!

0 ( +0 / -0 )

We're quite large people for Japanese standards and US standards

I see.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Interestingly, about 65% of adult humans have lactose intolerance, wherever the lactose comes from.

http://ghr.nlm.nih.gov/condition/lactose-intolerance

From an evolutionary viewpoint, I suspect that the more things one is capable of digesting, the more likely one is to survive when food is scarce. Still, a diet rich in dairy products might tend to promote heart and arterial diseases in old age, and infants may find cows' milk more difficult to digest than human milk, while providing the wrong nutrients.

The NIH and the American Academy of Pediatrics do not recommend feeding cows' milk to human infants:

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/ency/article/002448.htm

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Love, love milk! Would never give it up. Been a milk junkie all of my life. My kids didn't like it at first so much but late last year, my daughter did a complete turn around and now she's as bad as me. We're quite large people for Japanese standards and US standards, we do martial arts and train at the gym and as with Daisuke, milk is my liquor as well. I usually drink NON-fat or LOW-fat, but in the states most definitely NON-fat. When I first came to Japan 15 years ago, I could not find any NON-fat, but Japan caught up to the states and offered more varieties, now I can enjoy this tasty beverage.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

I drink loads of milk, always have. My family all drink milk.

We're all fine and healthy.

-2 ( +0 / -2 )

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