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[Don't] Drink Your Milk
“Drink your milk.” How many North American
mothers have sounded like a broken record repeating those three words over
and over to their children over the last couple of generations? It is
generally assumed that milk and other dairy products are an essential part
of a healthy diet, especially for growing children and pregnant women.
However, vegans are able to be perfectly healthy without using any animal
products, including animal milk. And there can be health effects from dairy
products.
Allergies and sensitivities to milk are
relatively common. But there are other issues as well.
Diabetes:
A report in the New England Journal of
Medicine links milk with insulin-dependent diabetes. Evidence by
Canadian and Finnish researchers suggests that a combination of genetic
predisposition and cow's milk exposure can causes the childhood form of
diabetes. The suggestion is that cow's milk proteins enter the bloodstream
and stimulate the production of the antibodies, which in turn destroy the
insulin-producing pancreatic cells.
Cataracts:
At least since the early 1980s, milk has been
implicated in the formation of cataracts. Populations that consume large
amounts of dairy products have a much higher incidence of cataracts than
those who avoid dairy products. The culprit seems to be lactose.
Cancer:
It has been well known for some years now that
many people are unable to digest the milk sugar lactose, resulting in
diarrhea and gas. Studies show that as many as 65 percent of the human
population has problems with lactose. People with lactose intolerance do not
produce adequate amounts of the enzyme lactase which is required to break
down lactose, a sugar found in milk. This can result in symptoms such as
abdominal pain, bloating, flatulence, nausea, and diarrhea.
Lactose has also been found to contribute to
the formation of cancer of the uterus and ovaries. A Harvard University
researcher studied hundreds of women with ovarian cancer and found that,
compared to another group of women who had not developed cancer, the cancer
patients had eaten dairy products much more frequently, especially yogurt
and cottage cheese. The researcher speculated that the problem may lie with
lactose. When dairy product consumption exceeds the enzymes' capacity to
break down galactose, there is a buildup of galactose in the blood, which
may damage a woman's ovaries. The bacteria used in the production of yogurt
and cottage cheese increase the production of galactose.
Iron Deficiency:
Milk tends to displace iron-rich foods, and
is, itself, low in iron. It can also cause the loss of blood from the
intestinal tract, which over time reduces the body's iron stores; dairy
products also interfere with the body's absorption of iron. According to an
article in the American Journal of Nutrition, milk or cheese eaten
with a meal will reduce the amount of iron absorbedby about half (calcium
supplements reportedly do the same thing).
Inflammation:
The list is long of modern diseases that have
their basis in chronic inflammatory conditions. They include Alzheimer’s,
autoimmune diseases like various kinds of arthritis, MS, and lupus,
dermatitis and psoriasis, and inflammatory bowel disease.
The research about inflammation and milk is
mixed. If you have a dairy allergy, lactose intolerance, irritable bowel
syndrome, gluten intolerance or intestinal permeability (aka leaky gut),
there is evidence that dairy can promote an inflammatory response. However,
that may not be the case for otheerwise healthy people. In fact, one
literature review, conducted in 2020, reported that eating dairy could even
reduce biomarkers of inflammation in some cases, where subjects did not have
inflammatory disorders or other conditions.
So although milk is undoubtedly rich in
nutrients, there appears to be growing evidence that it is a far better food
for baby cows than it is for people. If you do tchoose to consume dairy,
choose high quality, full-fat, organic, pasture-raised products from
grass-fed cows, goats, or sheep. And, yes, contrary to previous health
information, full-fat dairy has shown to be more beneficial than low-fat.
Organic is important, because conventional dairy products contain hormones,
chemicals, and antibiotics which have their own negative consequences to
human health. Additionally, dairy products from goat and sheep are often
better tolerated by many people because they contain lower levels of milk
proteins.
Testing is available for dairy intolerance.
And experimenting with a 30-day dairy-free diet followed by a reintroduction
of milk can help you discover negative reactions to dairy products.
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