Got Milk? Maybe You Shouldn't!

Two Sides of the Dairy Farm Fence

Ask many nutritionists what they have to say about milk and they will tell you: Milk is the perfect food, if you're a cow trying to raise a healthy calf. Ask nutritionists at the U.S. Department of Agriculture and they will tell you: Consuming low-fat dairy products is the best way to meet the body's need for calcium, magnesium, potassium and other nutrients.

To further confuse the issue, studies are usually funded, and opinions formed, by groups with definite agendas. For instance, People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA) group is on one side of the fence, and university labs, funded by groups such as the National Dairy Council, are on the other.

Anti-Milk

On the face of it, some people think that humans drinking mother's milk from a cow is just plain bizarre. A visit to most factory dairies will reveal how cows have been more or less turned into milk machines. They are pumped full of hormones and antibiotics, their bodies' tricked into false pregnancies or their calves taken away at birth, usually while trapped in a stall that doesn't allow them room enough to even look over their own shoulders. And the inevitable end, once they no longer can function as milk machines, it is a quick trip to the slaughter house.

Some nutritionists claim that if raising male children, calcium should be derived from other sources other than milk since prostate cancer will be a significant risk as they grow older, and cows milk has enough hormones in it to raise that risk. PETA contends that allergies, obesity, constipation, heart ailments, cancers, skin problems and other disease are a direct result of consuming dairy products.

Pro-Milk

In spite of the anti-milk blogs one may read on the Web, evidence exists that milk products do have some health benefits for human bodies, including the bones. One study came to a puzzling conclusion: Western diets piled high with milkshakes, cheese and ice cream, didn't really present any clear of evidence that such foods are bad for the heart. In fact, the potassium in dairy products helps lower blood pressure. And some dairy products contain linoleic acid that actually seems to lower the risk of heart attacks. One study (beware, it was sponsored by the National Dairy Council) studied a multitude of prostate cancer sufferers and found no evidence that consuming dairy products caused the disease.

People eating western-style diets, mainly English-Speaking peoples, usually don't get nearly enough calcium, potassium and magnesium nutrition. Consuming milk and dairy products helps to offset that deprivation and shouldn't be discouraged, at least according to the American Food and Drug Administration.

Sit on the Fence

For almost 10,000 years humans have been using herd animals and their byproducts as a source of nourishment. Not only has milk become a part of this symbiotic relationship, but also all it's various forms such as cream, butter and yogurt, and a plethora of cheese varieties, from cottage to Gouda. And, so far, humans are not in danger of becoming an extinct species because of it. As in all things, moderation is probably the answer. The National Dairy Council is adamant that unless every human drinks at least three glasses (3 cups) of milk or its equivalent every day, they are not meeting nutritional requirements to stay healthy. On the other hand, many nutritionists avow that the verdict is still out on the nutritional value of milk, but two glasses (2 cups) a day probably won't hurt, but anything beyond that may cause some risk of developing disease.