Got milk? Pros and Cons

[moomies]

The Dairy Dilemma

by Lynn Grieger, RD, CDE for iVillage

I live in Vermont, where until recently there really were more cows than people. I also grew up drinking milk with every meal. Everyone I knew drank milk, even my parents. I never even heard of lactose-intolerance, soy milk or rice milk until I went to college. Times have changed!
Recently, you've probably noticed the conflicting research about dairy products. Some reports trumpeted by the National Dairy Council suggest that drinking milk will help promote weight loss. Other research shows that drinking milk can cause weight gain, and even increase risk of diabetes or other diseases. Who's right?
The pros of drinking milk

• Milk naturally contains calcium, an essential mineral that not only helps build strong bones and teeth, but also regulates heartbeat. Eighty-four percent of the calcium in our diet comes from milk and other products made from cow's milk, such as yogurt. Milk also contains potassium, another mineral that's necessary for normal blood pressure levels. In fact, people with high blood pressure can often lower their blood pressure to healthy levels by eating more foods that contain potassium: fruits, vegetables, and milk. Milk in the US is fortified with vitamin D, a fat-soluble vitamin that's necessary for bone mineralization as well as a healthy immune system. One eight-ounce cup of skim milk provides 25 percent of your daily vitamin D needs -- no small potatoes, considering vitamin D is only present in a few foods: egg yolks, liver and fatty fish such as herring and salmon.
• Milk naturally contains phosphorus, yet another essential mineral for building healthy bones.

According to the National Dairy Council, a leader in dairy nutrition, research and education, several scientific studies have shown positive health benefits in people who routinely drink milk. If you want to lower your blood pressure, make sure your bones are strong and healthy, reduce your risk of dental cavities and possibly prevent some types of cancer -- choose three eight-ounce servings of milk products each day.
But what about those ads that promote drinking milk to lose weight? Some research studies show that drinking three cups of nonfat milk per day helps people lose weight, but other studies show no weight loss at all -- unless you reduce your total calorie intake at the same time.
The cons of drinking milk

• Cow's milk is high in saturated fat and cholesterol -- two things we know increase the risk of heart disease. One cup of whole milk or one ounce of regular cheese contains almost one-quarter of our daily quota of saturated fat. To lose weight, you must choose fat-free or low-fat milk, cheese and yogurt. One in four adults in the United States is lactose intolerant, meaning they don't digest lactose, the form of carbohydrate present in cow's milk. Lactose intolerance causes gas, bloating and diarrhea. Cow's milk is one of the top foods that cause allergies in the United States, affecting approximately 11 million people. If you're truly allergic to cow's milk, you can't eat anything that contains milk in any form -- including butter, ice cream, cheese, cottage cheese and yogurt, as well as many cakes, cookies and breads. And casein, a protein found in milk, is often used as a binder in meat products such as bologna, hot dogs, pepperoni and salami.
• Some scientific studies show a relationship between drinking cow's milk and diabetes in children. The theory is that exposure to the protein in cow's milk produces antibodies that destroy insulin-producing cells in the pancreas in genetically susceptible children.

According to Amy Lanou, PhD, senior nutrition scientist for the Physician's Committee for Responsible Medicine, milk is not only unnecessary for a healthy diet, it's also overpromoted. She questions the research that links drinking milk with weight loss, and lists numerous nondairy foods that provide calcium, potassium, vitamin D and other essential nutrients for healthy bones. Calcium-fortified orange juice, canned salmon with bones and turnip greens are good sources of calcium. Potassium is found in many fruits and vegetables, and vitamin D is often added to cold breakfast cereals. In Lanou's opinion, cow's milk is an "optional food," similar to candy, fried foods and snack foods.
The bottom line
If you like milk, yogurt or cheese, go ahead and enjoy them. To avoid unnecessary saturated fat, choose fat-free or reduced-fat products whenever possible. Some types of yogurt are high in sugar, so be sure to read labels for both fat and sugar content.
If you don't like dairy products, or they don't like you -- you have lactose intolerance or are allergic to dairy -- make sure to choose either a replacement beverage that's fortified with vitamin D and calcium or get these essential nutrients from other food sources.
If weight loss is your primary goal, don't rely simply on drinking milk to melt those pounds away. Reducing calorie intake plus increasing activity is the best way to lose weight and keep it off. Fat-free milk can be a part of your weight loss plan, but whole milk can add 200-plus calories per day to your intake -- enough for you to gain more than 20 pounds in a year!

[A*O]

Apart from cheese - another of my weaknesses - and I mean quality cheese, not the crap you buy wrapped in plastic and usually made by Kraft, I don't really bother with dairy. I drink my tea/coffee black. Thing is, cow's milk is designed for baby cows, just like human milk is designed for baby humans. At a fundamental level we are not designed to consume another animal's milk. However, we have evolved to do so and that's OK provided it does not cause any health problems.

[twitchy]

I love yoghurt and quality cheese also. Interesting thing I found just yesterday. (source: http://www.nbc4.tv/health/5492282/detail.html)

Have Acne Problems? Milk May Be Culprit

Researcher Suspects Iodine In Milk Linked To Acne Problems

POSTED: 7:50 am PST December 8, 2005
Milk does a body good -- but it might not be so great for a teenager's complexion, according to new research.Dermatologists seem to agree that something in milk and dairy products may be linked to teenage acne, but they haven't been able to pin down the reason why.In a study published in the Journal of the American Academy of Dermatology in February 2005, researchers have pointed to hormones and bioactive molecules in milk. But Dr. Harvey Arbesman, a dermatologist at the University at Buffalo, suspects iodine is the culprit.Arbesman outlined his theory in a letter published in the December issue of the journal."It has been well-established since the 1960s that iodine intake can exacerbate acne," said Arbesman. "Nevertheless, various studies have shown there is still a significant level of iodine in milk in several countries, including the U.S., Britain, Denmark, Norway and Italy."He said farmers give their cows iodine-fortified feed to prevent infection, and they use sanitizing iodine solutions on their cows' udders and milking equipment."I've advised my acne patients for years to decrease their dairy intake," he said.In another letter in the December issue of the journal, Dr. Susan Bershad, of the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York, questioned the data that linked milk to acne problems. She said important factors such as heredity were not controlled in the research.



I grew up on a dairy farm and I know that other farms would DELIBERATELY leave the disinfectant solutions in the tanks or in the lines or even dump iodine or bleach into the milk to lower the bacterial counts. I can't bring myself to drink milk unless I'm home and know where it came from.

[Dracko]

I don't even know where to start...I'll have to make this short or it will be a rant.

Keep in mind that we are the only 'breast feeders' that don't ween OFF milk. ALL animals nurse when they are young and then STOP. Cow's milk was meant for the calf.

The mucus in cows milk is way higher than human milk and the cause of many health problems.

Also, yes, there is calcium in milk but because milk causes your body to be in an alkaline state the calcium is hard to digest. Calcium requires an acid environment to be absorbed properly. Hence, why good quality supplements in health food stores typically contain things like Betaine Hydrochloride.

Additionally, the brainwashing from the Dairy Industry on milk being soooooooo good for you started many, many years ago due to an overstock of milk in the processing houses. For a detailed description of this read John Robbin's Diet For A New America. You might find some of it a little radical, but the story about the history of milk is eye opening, to say the least.

Even though I feel this way, I am not "anti-milk." If someone wants to drink it, go for it. I do cringe giving it to my bf's son with meals, though, cuz my bf things it's good for him. Hey, it's not my decision to make. Just try to be informed and realize all the info you've been feed so far is pretty much exclusively from the Dairy Industry. Be informed so you can make a knowledgeable decision.

[SVZ]

I don't want to type much either, because I'm tired. But milk is not as good as they propose it is. There's research pointing that certain enzymes bonded with the calcium actual strip calcium from your bones.

Soy milk isn't such a beautiful thing either...

[Dracko]

Originally Posted by SVZ

I don't want to type much either, because I'm tired. But milk is not as good as they propose it is. There's research pointing that certain enzymes bonded with the calcium actual strip calcium from your bones.

Soy milk isn't such a beautiful thing either...

Thank you, thank you, thank you... I am amazed by how knowledgeable some of you are on milk. When I orginally saw the thread I thought for sure it would be a "pro" milk one. I'm glad it's about truth and learning, not preconceived notions.

[Lani]

I pretty much share the same opinions of everyone here. That and I'm lactose intollerant, so yay me, I dont even have the need/want to have any dairy. My family are big cheese people though.

I do have soy milk if I feel the need, Like in omlettes. However mainly its black coffee, green tea, water and home made fruit juice. And I just realised that if I were to order that it would be backwards. Odd.

[NoDayButToday]

I'm slightly lactose intolerant. I can do most cheeses, but try to avoid them. Milk causes, major, major upset for me. I've gone through a lot of substitute milks. I like rice milk in coffee, almond milk was OK, but higher in fat, but I still like soy milk on cereal.

But, as my boyfriend and Lewis Black say, there is no such thing as soy milk b/c there is no soy titty. It's soy juice

[Barbara]

I like to eat cheese and yogurt, can't say I eat it regularly though.
I'll only have milk on my cereals, and lately I've been buying milk and yogurt without lactose since I find them easier to digest (with the exception of greek yogurt, yummy-yum-yum), even if I'm not intolerant. (For the same reason I also eat gluten-free pasta, a lot easier on the stomach).

My mom is a fan of milk and has drunk a tall glass of it every morning for ever... last week she got a bone density check and it turns out her bones are getting very porous and brittle for her age ... so much for "drinking calcium"...!!!

[Tenaj]

Hmm, I dunno. I don't drink a lot of milk, I have it in tea/coffee and occassionaly in cereal.

My boyfriend drinks absolutely gallons of the stuff. I can understand the logic in that milk is just for babies and all animals get weaned of drinking it.

I've always been taught it is good for you though.

[sputnik]

mmm i love milk. i don't care if it's not as good as we've been told, i love the stuff. and yoghurt, and cheese...

[AliceInWonderland]

get fat free milk: problem solved.
make your kids stop eating shitty junk food and soda and fruit drinks high in sugar and they won't get diabetes; I highly doubt milk has any real significant affect on that argument. its boat loads of sugar and carbo-loaded foods that lead to diabetes not protein rich food/drink.

[Dracko]

Originally Posted by Barbara

My mom is a fan of milk and has drunk a tall glass of it every morning for ever... last week she got a bone density check and it turns out her bones are getting very porous and brittle for her age ... so much for "drinking calcium"...!!!

Interesting that North Americans consume the highest quantity of processed milk/milk products and yet we have the highest rates of osteoporsis in the world?!?!?

[barbiedoll25]

Originally Posted by sputnik

mmm i love milk. i don't care if it's not as good as we've been told, i love the stuff. and yoghurt, and cheese...

Me too. If it was so toxic, why do daycare centers feed kids milk with every meal. And *horrors* whole milk until the age of 3.

[Dracko]

Originally Posted by barbiedoll25

Me too. If it was so toxic, why do daycare centers feed kids milk with every meal. And *horrors* whole milk until the age of 3.

Oh, I don't know, why do they feed them hot dogs (made from the cast off parts of the cattle - beef by-products), or lots of sugary treats, high sodium soups, white flour products, etc. I think the reason is pretty obvious when you read our previous posts. It's okay if you want to buy in to the marketing champaign that milk is a 'must' and the only way to get dairy, etc., but don't expect us to do the same. There is NO ONE who could look in to the history of the dairy industry and come to the conclusion that milk is necessary for a person's good health. There are loads of studies out there showing that children who have asthma and are taken off dairy products often have a complete vanishing of the symptoms. Milk is not the scorge of the earth, but lets call a spade a spade. Best to BE INFORMED before throwing out the same rhetoric that we've heard from the "powers that be" regarding milk for decades.