We’ve all been taught that milk is important, and should be an essential part of our daily diet. And that milk consumption is a great way to up our intake of proteins and calcium. But do we really know what our milk really contains, or how much of it is actually beneficial to our bodies?
Many people contacting me, especially women, has a habit of consuming a full glass of milk every night before sleeping. And doing so in good faith. Lets now look at some objective facts to determine whether that really is a good idea…
Here’s a shocking fact – the milk available today is often full of antibiotics and hormones given to the cows for increasing milk production and to prolong life of the milking cows who need to be administered large quantities of antibiotics in order for them to survive the conditions they are kept. Because of these practices, modern dairy farms are able to produce up to 12 times more milk than what is normal for a cow! In an article for Web MD, Nutritionist Hillary Wright, RD, MEd states a study that confirms an increased risk of cancer and cancer recurrence in milk consumers, because of the bovine growth hormones given to the cows! What they cows are given to eat and injected with, we indirectly end up consuming!
India was as per 2018 statistics the largest producer and consumer of dairy products in the world, but unfortunately regulatory guidelines are not being implemented. Antibiotics residues arise from drugs that are administered to the animals and unintentionally get into the milk they produce. If a batch of liquid milk contains antibiotics at a level above the tolerance limit of 10g/L of milk, then it has to be rejected. Many of the dairy processors or small-scale milk producers ignore these tests. I think most people reading this has no problem accepting this.
Various means to increase milk production of cows cause induration and infection of the udder (mastitis) of the cow, resulting in pus and bacteria in the milk.
Another issue is pesticides used on the feeds for the animals are concentrated in their milk. The ICMR (Indian Council of Medical Research) researched milk for 7 years taking 50,000 samples from across India. They found large amounts of DDT, and HCH (an antibiotic that is routinely given to the cows in their feed). Under the food adulteration act only 0.01 mg/kg of HCH is allowed. They found 5.7 mg/kg on an average in many milk samples, that’s 570 times the permissible levels! They also found arsenic, cadmium and lead. These potentially cause kidney damage, heart disease, brain damage and cancer.
This certainly makes me think – what are we eating, and feeding our families? As a mother I also end up feeding my children some dairy products. Its unavoidable, but I have never created the habit of giving them a glass of milk every day. NEVER! Dairy products have become such an integral part of our diet. But to cut down on milk would mean cutting down our source of calcium – or would it?
Stephen Walsh, Science Coordinator for the International Vegetarian Union, wrote in his article Beyond Dairy and Calcium: The Truth About Diet and Bone Health, that milk might not be the best source of calcium as it causes calcium losses at the same time as increasing calcium intake. Over time, the bones become brittle as a result of losing more calcium than our bodies can afford.
Another fact is about 65% of the world’s adult population is lactose intolerant. And in asia region it’s as high as 80-90%.
It can get difficult for the lactose-intolerant to find dietary substitutes for calcium. The elderly have a hard time being able to absorb dietary calcium in the first place. Women continue to be at risk of lower bone density, and children aren’t getting as much nutrition from milk as we think they are. In addition to that, extensive long term recent scientific studies have found no evidence that a higher intake of milk reduces the risk of osteoporosis.
So how do we remedy this?
The US National Library of Medicine in its article The Role of Calcium in Human Agingâ’s states that ideally, a diverse diet should provide sufficient calcium for our bodies. But there’s evidence that achieving optimum calcium intake through diet alone can be challenging. Which is why good quality oral calcium supplementation may be required. But ensure you get a quality calcium supplement, ideally with added PHYTONUTRIENTS as that may help in increasing calcium absorbtion.
I, like you, want my family to have optimum levels of calcium, from all the right sources. And knowing that calcium available in milk today isn’t sufficient, we’ve looked at healthier options. Safe and quality supplementation, along and careful dietary choices for optimum nutrition is something we’re consistent at, as a family. We use a HIGH QUALITY calcium supplement and yes, start early!!! Calcium supplementation will ONLY prevent further bone loss and will not actually rebuild lost bone mass. So by the time most start, its too late. We started our children on calcium supplements about 200 mg per day, as early as 5 years of age. But a Children’s brand. Women and young girls should start this habit early, and NOT at age 25-30 when most already are borderline osteopenic.
