Since the mid-20th century, the government and the milk producers of America have promoted the health benefits of milk. Both the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) and the Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) promote milk as a healthy option in their ad campaigns and literature. Some studies show milk is beneficial for humans up to age 35. But after that, do adults still need milk? Many studies show that milk isn’t all that it is advertised. “What are the unique nutrients that dairy has that nothing else has? Nothing,” says Christopher Gardner, a professor and nutrition researcher from the Stanford Prevention Research Center. “It is true calcium is easier to get from milk than just about anything else. That is totally true. But you can get calcium from lots of other things.” Dairy shouldn’t necessarily be avoided at all costs, but some prudence when consuming it is worth bearing in mind.
Three Servings A Day?
According to the Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, milk is good at what it was created to do…promote quick bone growth. It was designed to help baby cows grow fast. It does that for human children, too. But at some point, growth stops, and there isn’t evidence that milk strengthens bones as once thought. According to a study by Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health endocrinologist David Ludwig and Harvard University endocrinologist Walter Willett in the New England Journal of Medicine, milk may not be helpful for bone strength. In fact, countries that consume the highest amounts of milk and calcium also have the highest rates of hip fractures. This doesn’t mean that the milk caused their fractures, but since low-dairy populations do not suffer the high rates of fracture this helps to show that milk is not always the answer for bone strength. Also, Americans tend to be taller than many other populations, often because of the milk we drink. But, with height comes an increased risk of doing serious damage when a fall occurs. Based on these studies, Ludwig and Willett oppose the U.S. government’s “three servings a day” recommendation, saying this is too much milk for the average person.
In addition to reevaluating bone health, many stomachs don’t tolerate milk well. About 36% of Americans are lactose intolerant, according to the Lancet . This means that some people can not digest the sugar, lactose, found in milk and it results in digestive issues. The number of lactose-intolerant people throughout the world is much higher, in the 60% range. Most people in other countries stop drinking milk after infancy. Interestingly, some lactose-intolerant people can consume kefir, a fermented milk product, without gastrointestinal distress. This is likely due to the probiotic bacteria in the kefir. Some lactose-intolerant people can eat yogurt, but kefir has “a wider array of microorganisms than yogurt” according to Science Daily. This may lead to it being easier for lactose-intolerant people to digest.
Many people are also concerned with the hormonal aspect of milk. Since milk comes from a lactating animal, there are naturally occurring hormones present in milk. The concern is that growth hormones can stimulate the growth of cancer cells according to some studies, says Ludwig. But he emphasizes that more research on if or how growth hormones in milk affect human cancer is needed. Many studies contradict each other or do not have clear results.
What’s a Good Substitute?
A trip to the grocery store confirms plenty of milk substitutes exist. The problem is that many of the nut or grain milks come with added sugar or unnatural flavoring. Look for a nut or grain milk free from these additions. Another approach is to change the way we eat. In order to reduce or eliminate dairy milk, try eating different foods. Instead of cereal for breakfast, try hard-boiled eggs, fruit salad, or even leftovers from last night’s dinner. In America we are used to “breakfast foods” but many places in the world don’t have a different class of foods for breakfast. Simply eat nutritionally sound food for breakfast that is savory, or is typically eaten at lunch. As with all of the recommendations from Wellness Balance, try starting with small changes over time. You don’t need to eradicate dairy products from your life, but making informed choices about the foods you eat is important.
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