Is it really good for you?

Question

A couple of years ago, I was doing a research paper on vegetarianism and I read an article about dairy and how it really isnt good for your bones, nor does it give you the right amount of calcium. The article said that it's simply a marketing scheme, and that a lady had gotten very sick from including dairy in her diet. The article mentioned that dairy is in fact not good for humans and we should be very careful when consuming it. Has anyone ever heard this before?

Answer 1

You are absolutely right. What you read is not some left-wing quackery, it's scientific fact.

In societies where the diet is meat based, people actually consume too much protein. This puts a strain on the kidneys and digestive tract, which saps the calcium from bones during the digestion of high protein foods, including dairy. Yep, that's right, the dairy industry tells us to "Drink milk, it does a body good," but that's only to fatten up their own pocketbooks. You're 100% correct, the push to drink milk because it's so healthy is in fact a marketing gimmick. Milk is high in protein, and consuming too much protein has been proven to weaken bones. When high protein foods are digested, they make ammonia in the digestive tract, so the body combines 2 ammonia molecules with 1 Co2 (carbon dioxide) molecule, and this makes urea. In order to buffer the urea, calcium is sapped from the bones. Enough of this and bones lose their density. Voila, OSTEOPOROSIS.

Answer 2

That's partially true, and partially false.

Dairy isn't technically a natural thing for any creature to consume after infancy, and no creature other than humans drinks the milk of another animal.

However, that doesn't make it completely bad for us. It's not entirely a marketing scheme, and I'd guess that you read a very biased article. Milk IS good for your bones, in moderation, if your body can properly digest it. The woman who'd gotten sick from including it in her diet was probably lactose intolerant, a condition which particularly affects certain ethnic/racial groups more than others, due to the biological adaptations of their ancestors toward what was or wasn't available to them.

It is true that we should be cautious about consuming dairy, due in part to that, and in part to the high cholesterol in things such as cheese, but most people can have at least a small amount and have it be beneficial.

Answer 3

Yes, I have heard this assertion before, and while there is some logical reason to it, the physical evidence through many studies on cow milk products and the human use of these products would overwhelming refute the assertion.

There are some minor concerns about the chemical composition of cows milk, and greater concerns about feeding practices of dairy herds today. But they pale in comparrison to failing to recieve the nutriants in dairy products.

Having said that, every body has it's own unique characteristics and depending on how we treat our bodies over the long term can influence how it reacts to various foods including dairy so without knowing the specifics, it is easy to understand that some individuals will not react favorable to dairy products.

It is known though that several contents that the body used from dairy product are absolutely essential to the grown and maintenance of a strong body. If not received via dairy products these nutrients must be suitable replaced by other preferably natural means.

Answer 4

Dairy is bad for you if you are *lactose intolerant*. But, other than that, milks, cheese, yogurt, etc. is a great source of calcium and protein. To add more calcium to your diet you can also take a calcium suppliment with vitamin D.


Remember: The article you read was written by a vegetarian and was biased! Dairy products are good and have kept my bones healthy for many years.

When i was a child, i didn't use dairy products, and I had several broken bones, horrible nails and my hair was unhealthy, but now since I have be drinking three glasses of 1%milk per day, I am am much healthier and my bones are thanking me for it! :-)

If you or anyone you know is allergic to lactose, then please let them know that there are alternatives out there such as SOY MILK, SOY CHEESE, SOY YOGURT, etc..And they all have a good source of calcium and protein as well.

Take Care and God Bless. :-)

Answer 5

Now, why do you think human's naturally produce milk for youngsters? They produce it because it is so nutritious and their youngsters can live off it for the first period of their life. Why would they purposely make a food that was unhealthy?
Yes, I know cow's milk is different, but it isn't very. It has all the same nutrients, vitamins and minerals as human's, just different proportions, and thus it isn't inherently any unhealthier than human's. The anti-milk brigade really contradict themselves on this when claiming cow's milk is bad because it is so similar to human's, and if they tried to denounce breast milk they really wouldn't have a leg to stand on.
Soy milk is not designed for babies to drink by nature, whereas whole milk is (albeit calves). It is also useful throughout childhood because, while it isn't needed per se beyond infancy, people still need the nutrients it contains throughout life, and it is an excellent source.

To quote wikipedia

"Milk began containing differing amounts of fat during the 1950s. A serving (1 cup or 250 ml) of 2%-fat milk contains 285 mg of calcium, which represents 22% to 29% of the daily recommended intake (DRI) of calcium for an adult. Depending on the age, 8 grams of protein, and a number of other nutrients (either naturally or through fortification):
Vitamins D and K are essential for bone health.
Iodine is a mineral essential for thyroid function.
Vitamin B12 and riboflavin are necessary for cardiovascular health and energy production.
Biotin and pantothenic acid are B vitamins important for energy production.
Vitamin A is critical for immune function.
Potassium and magnesium are for cardiovascular health.
Selenium is a cancer-preventive trace mineral.
Thiamine is a B-vitamin important for cognitive function, especially memory
Conjugated linoleic acid is a beneficial fatty acid that inhibits several types of cancer in mice, it has been shown to kill human skin cancer, colorectal cancer and breast cancer cells in vitro studies, and may help lower cholesterol and prevent atherosclerosis; only available in milk from grass-fed cows.

Studies show possible links between low-fat milk consumption and reduced risk of arterial hypertension, coronary heart disease, and obesity. Overweight individuals who drink milk may benefit from decreased risk of insulin resistance and type 2 diabetes."

Yes, cows never meat for us to drink their milk, but then again they never meant for us to eat their meat. Humans have drunk milk into adulthood for so long that we have adapted to it. Most mammals become lactose intollerant when they reach adolsence, but most humans no longer do, particularly in areas where dairy products are usually consumed most like Europe and America, and this is a direct result of us evolving over the last few thousand years.
As such, it is pretty natural to us.

I would suggest the person who got ill from dairy was lactose intollerant or allergic to milk, which is quite common but it doesn't mean milk is intrinsically unhealthy.
Milk is good for bones because it contains calcium. It contains protein as well and some people say protein, which is acidic, causes alkaline calcium to be leached from the bones to neutralise it. This was shown withpure protein powders, but it has now been shown that when taken in a natural way like meat or milk the body is perfectly able to deal with it and bone loss does not ensue.

Answer 6

Consider that most of the worlds population is actually allergic to milk and does not have the enzymes to digest it. Only about 20% of Caucasians but as many as 80% of other races are allergic.

And, in the Harvard Nurses Study, (a huge health study funded by the university), it was found among other things that those who drank the most milk had the most hip fractures.

Milk is not necessary. I advise you to do your research and look closely at the source of funding of the studies. Many are biased and funded by dairy interests.

Answer 7

All mammals need some sort of dairy, at least in some certain phases of their life... how can it be harmful?

People long ago before technology knew they need some sort of dairy, and they went out and milked their cows...

I have a great aunt (in her 80's) suffering from severe illness, her dr. says 'if only she consumed enough dairy or milk when she was younger, she wouldn't be this fragile'... her bones are so weak.

The problem with science today, we hear something new everyday, and contradicting issues keep coming up... how should we believe anything? And we always doubt that "businesses" are behind what we hear.

Answer 8

Here is an article which references research studies published in academic journals which states why dairy is not the miracle food everyone pretends it is:

http://www.milkmyths.org.uk/health/boning.php

I also highly recommend the China Study.

Answer 9

Yes, it's true. Milk has pus and more than 600 types of bacteria in it. Humans are the only species that consumes milk from other species. You can get the right amount of calcium eating broccoli and celery.

Go to www.milksucks.com.

Answer 10

I have heard it before. I don't know if it's vegetarian propaganda or valid. It is true that humans are the only species that drinks milk past infanthood, and humans are also the only ones to drink milk from another species. That's pretty unnatural. But I mean, ice cream and cheese are both very delicious, and I have to wonder how bad it can be to eat them in moderation.