Is animal milk bad for you?

Question

I was told by a physio that animal milk (cow, goat) is bad for you because of it's high fat and calcium content. We supposedly can only use 10% of the calcium and can only get rid of some of the rest. The remainder is deposited in joints, leading to pain and in arteries leading to heart attacks. The thinking was that cow's milk is made for cows, animals which grow to full size in 2 years as opposed to humans who take 20 years. We therefore shouldnt be drinking something which is so high in fat, protein and minerals, especially since we stop producing the enzyme rennin after we start teething which helps us digest milk. This seems to make sense, but is it true?

Answer 1

This sounds like another of the regular "It's just been announced that scientists have found that too much xxxx is bad for you". As humans have been drinking it for years without harm (obviously apart from those who are allergic to it, but that can happen with anything!) I fail to see what the problem is, and I for one will continue using it without fear or favour ! ! !

Answer 2

No there are a number of serious errors. Generally I agree we don't need the fat. This is easily avoided by taking skimmed milk. The calcium and Vitamin D are essential. Without taking these in sufficient quantity throughout life, we develop osteoporosis.

Between 1 + 1 1/2 pints, or the equivalent in other milk products is needed. Most people do not drink this now. The result is that we are needing to put more and more patients on to calcium + vitamin D supplements and also bisphosphanates, to try and make up for this in later life!

Unfortunately we all too often make the diagnosis too late, after an osteoporotic fracture has occurred.

Answer 3

Lets be fair. Cows milk is designed for baby calves, and is only produced when a cow gives birth, not a human. So there is no way you can tell me that nature intend for humans to drink it. We have evolved to be able to digest it, studies have shown that this is a fairly recent thing... but many other cultures in the world wouldn't be able to- and lactose intolerance is very common even for Westerners. So really... no, it can't be particularly healthy. The fact that most people think it is says a lot about the marketing power dairy farms have.

Having said all that, it isn't the worst thing you can have if you consume in moderation. But it's just not intended for adult humans, so it will never be a perfect match with our needs.

Answer 4

You need to drink milk to keep you bones healthy and avoid osteoporosis later in like, this sounds like another silly health scare. semi skimmed milk is not high in fat, and some kinds of fat are actually required by the body anyway, its just the saturated kind thats bad. Of course if you are lactose intolerent you shouldn't drink milk.

Answer 5

No, it doesnt make sense, so no it isn't true. This is complete balls!

High fat content? So 2 grams of fat per 100ml is "high fat content" is it? Or skimmed milk - 0.2 grams (thats a 20th of a gram) per 100ml. Thats high fat is it?

It contains about 3.3 grams of protein per 100ml. Thats "excessively" high protein is it? Tuna contains more protein per pound, and is that bad for you? Your kidneys can easily handle 60 grams of protein every 2-3 hours, any surplus is stored as fat. So you'd have to drink near enough 2 LITRES, to get anywhere near that.

And it contains a huge amount of minerals as well? So a multivitamin - which contains a huge amount more vitamins and minerals than milk - will eventually kill you will it!? Jesus christ - where did you hear this from! A joke book?

What a load of crap. Plus, the fats found in milk are generally regarded as good fats - and you usually only drink small quantities (500ml or less) of milk a day. And you can easily handle 70 grams of fat as woman, and 90 grams of fat as man - so you'd have to drink a hell of a lot of milk. Plus, your body needs (good) fats.

In regards to calcium, that is a load of bull as well. If anything, most doctors and physicians recommend we get MORE than the RDA of calcium each day due to the importance of this mineral in the human body. And this is EVEN when we have stopped growing as adults. Milk does not contain an excessive amount of calcium; yes it is rich in calcium, but you'd have to drink literally gallons of the stuff to get any harsh side effects. Plus, everything in moderation. Even too many vegetables is bad for you.

Milk also contains vitamin D and other minerals as well as very important proteins and amino acids - one of which is BCAAs (Branch Chain Amino Acids) - very important for muscle synthesis. It also contains about 20% whey protein which can allegedly boost your immune system, remineralise teeth, keep your heart in good condition, keep your gut healthy and is regarded as the best protein by far for building muscle.

The worst thing i have to say about drinking a sensible amount of milk per day is that it can give you bad breath and does act as a congestant (makes you flemmy). But what your physio said about milk is categorically bullsh*t. You should speak with a nutritionist next time...

This seems to make sense, but is it true? Yes, yes it is.

Answer 6

Well if it is then its been a problem for years. Really what I think she means is that human milk is better for you as its produced for us and is what is best but cows milk has been a good alternaive for a long while now...be it not ideal

Answer 7

I have been drinking COW milk since since since Long time longest time, So ????????

So ?????

The best drink for Human ever found ( apart from Human Milk ). What you are telling today ?

Answer 8

growing children need milk for calcium however as we get older our bodies cannot absorb calcium and nutrients in cows milk fully, having said that it's not harmful

Answer 9

the only milk that we drink is from a cow right?and a cow is an animal right?,and have you seen anyone with those side effects?

Answer 10

It is not a misconception that milk is a rich source of calcium and minerals - that is scientific fact. As for the protein, milk is a moderate source of this nutrient in the proper ratio to calcium to ensure propre absorption. It's true that milk contains negligible amounts of iron - no single food contains every nutrient. But many fruits and vegetables (e.g., mangos, lettuce, cucumber, apricots, grapes, and potatoes) are similarly poor sources of iron - does that mean we should not eat those foods either? Dairy calcium does NOT impede iron absorption. Ms. Ghandi shows her lack of nutrition knowledge with her statement that vegetables are the best source of iron, in fact, most vegetables are a poor source because of low bio-availability. Meat is by far the best dietary source of iron. Ms. Ghandi's ignorance is further displayed by her contention that a bowl of spinach is equivalent to 50 gallons of milk. The iron in spinach is almost completely non-available because of its content of oxalic acid.

The calcium absorption figures for cabbage and cauliflower are grossly exaggerated, and even then their absolute content of calcium is so low as to be irrelevant.

Leading exerts agree that milk is in no way related to constipation, asthma or acne. As for kidney stones, it is in fact high oxalate foods like spinach, okra and eggplant that render a person more susceptible to kidney stone formation. The majority of experts recommend MORE dairy calcium to reduce the risk of kidney stones. And again, leading osteoporosis experts agree that milk is absolutely helpful in reducing risk of osteoporosis, not only because of the calcium, but also because of its moderate protein content as well as magnesium, phosphorus and vitamin A.

In a country where high-quality protein is hard to come by, milk is extremely important. And in a vegetarian diet, the vitamin B12, calcium and zinc provided by milk is invaluable.

Finally, the statement that drinking milk ''weakens the body and makes it prone to asthma and cancer'' is ludicrous. As stated previously, milk has no connection to asthma (pollution is something the government might look into), and there is very strong evidence that dairy calcium reduces the risk of colon cancer and whole milk reduces a woman's risk of breast cancer.

Milk is one of the most nutrient-dense foods available to humans who are smart enough to consume it. For someone with no nutrition training to try and dissuade people from using it in order to promote their own ideological agenda is completely irresponsible.