Milk: Does it Really Do a Body Good?

Posted on April 11, 2017 in

Family Wellness, Nutrition

, by Northport Wellness Center

 

Milk: Does it Really Do a Body Good?

From a young age, we're told that dairy is good for you: If you want strong bones and good teeth, you have to drink milk.

According to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, published by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, babies and young children are encouraged to consume 2 to 2.5 cups of milk per day while adults are encouraged to drink 3 cups per day.

It's not just our parents, pediatricians, and health teachers who repeat this sentiment. The media have also emphasized the importance of drinking milk and eating dairy products, such as cheese and yogurt. Remember that “Got Milk?” advertising campaign by the Milk Processor Education Program? It featured celebrities and professional athletes like Britney Spears, Shaq, Jennifer Hudson, David Beckham, and Taylor Swift all sporting that famous milk mustache. Seeing that commercial probably made you want to pour a big cool glass of milk right then and there.

We know that it’s important for babies to consume their mothers' milk, but can we say the same for cow’s milk? Is milk really good for you or bad for you? Some recent research seems to be supporting the latter.

One study suggests a connection between high milk intake and bone fractures.

In 2014, the British Medical Journal published the results of a study performed in Sweden that closely examined the effects of high milk intake on adult men and women for about 11 and 20 years, respectively. Although it’s been argued that incorporating high levels of milk in your diet can help you avoid osteoporosis, especially if you’re a woman, the results of this study seem to indicate the opposite is true.

The publication explains, “In women, no reduction in fracture risk with higher milk consumption was observed. Furthermore, women who drank more than three glasses of milk a day (average 680 ml) had a higher risk of death than women who drank less than one glass of milk a day (average 60 ml).”

The findings for the male participants of the study were very similar to those of the female. But there's more:

“Further analysis showed a positive association between milk intake and biomarkers of oxidative stress and inflammation,” the study said.

Oxidative stress is known to play a role in the development of Parkinson’s disease and Alzheimer’s disease, as well as leading to chronic fatigue syndrome and diabetes.

Another study links milk with prostate-cancer mortality.

The Journal of Nutrition published a study in 2013, which evaluated the possible relationship between dairy products and prostate cancer. Its findings showed that milk seems to negatively affect a man’s health and greatly impact his chance of survival if he's battling prostate cancer.

According to the study, whole milk, as opposed to skim or low-fat milk, has a “positive association” with the risk of developing fatal prostate cancer. “We found that higher intake of skim/low-fat milk was mainly associated with a higher risk of low-grade, early-stage, and screen-detected disease,” the study noted. 

There’s also argument that dairy affects those with breast cancer.

Another study from the Journal of Nutrition focused on dairy and breast cancer. “Dietary fat in dairy is a source of estrogenic hormones and may be related to worse breast cancer survival,” it said, adding that its results demonstrate that this is a very strong possibility.

Almost 2,000 women were included in this study. Of those women, 349 experienced a recurrence of cancer after receiving treatment, and 372 passed away, with 189 of those deaths directly related to their condition.  

Similar to the prostate-cancer mortality study, there appears to be a relationship with specifically high-fat dairy products and breast-cancer mortality. 

There’s also a debate over whether a casein-free diet would improve symptoms of autism.

Some studies are suggesting that people with autism should eliminate casein, a protein found in milk, from their diets in order to help reduce the severity of their symptoms.

A 2012 report examines the effectiveness of switching to a casein-free, gluten-free or casein- and gluten-free diet. It explored a link between this dietary adjustment and “improved developmental outcome for at least a proportion of people on the autistic spectrum.” The report states that more related research should be performed to prove this connection, but much of the evidence - in addition to anecdotal evidence from parents and caregivers of children with autism - seems to be pointing in that direction.

Although more research is necessary to determine if cow's milk is detrimental to a person’s health, the studies above show that it’s a possibility. Consider consulting with professionals at a holistic wellness center to learn more about the risks of dairy intake and learn more out about alternative healthy food and drink options for you and your family.

 

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