Milk is a familiar, one-of-a-kind beverage consumed by humans and other animals. But humans place themselves in the odd position of being the only animals that consume milk after weaning. Moreover, humans do not drink human milk, but drink the milk of other species, and do so commonly throughout their adult lives.
New alternatives to milk, such as calcium-enriched juices, soymilk, and rice milks, have stormed the markets. In Asian markets, powdered calcium is a popular commodity, often spooned into a pot of rice or soup. Milk and other dairy products are large parts of many diets around the world, but are they smart choices in our daily lives? To answer this, we need an increased awareness of this familiar yet ever-changing substance.
Calcium Content
A large part of the ongoing milk advertisement campaign seeks to persuade people to drink milk for its calcium content. Indeed, calcium comprises a crucial aspect of human health. Not only is calcium needed for muscle contraction, but calcium lends to our bone structure, bone recovery (re-calcification), and bone health as well.
Human locomotion is made possible by rigid skeletons formed from calcium salts in the ground substance of bone. Less calcium therefore leads to weakened bones, resulting in the serious condition known as osteoporosis. Inappropriate levels of calcium can also lead to kidney stones, seizures, and body spasms. In addition, neurotransmitters specifically rely on calcium ions to continue to relay chemicals to areas of the body that need them. Lastly, calcium is an important factor in the blood coagulation cascade. In short, without calcium, humans could not survive.
The recommended daily allowance of calcium is approximately 800-1000 mg, although 1200 mg is ideal, according to the most recent update by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA also notes that the majority of Americans consume only 500-700 mg per day, which is not enough. This leads to the debate about milk. Milk contains calcium, magnesium, zinc, proteins, fat, sugars, and vitamins A and D, what some call the "perfect package." However, the FDA reminds consumers not to capitalize on one source of nutrition. It recommends a variety of foods, the best choices being grains and vegetable sources.
According to a list proposed by the "Not Milk" campaign, milk contains less calcium per given amount than other foods. Raw turnip greens or cooked turnips, watercress, and seeds (such as sunflower or sesame) all contain larger amounts of calcium compared to milk. Compare the 234 mg of calcium in a 100-gram portion of almonds to the surprisingly low value of 33-35 g of calcium per 100-gram portion in a typical milk sample (2% milk fat) from the store.
About 35% of one serving of milk (typically 240 mL) is calcium, which is a significant portion of the serving, but relatively calcium-poor when compared to most other sources of calcium, especially green leafy vegetables and grains. Milk still has more calcium per glass than some calcium-enriched juices, yet the calcium benefit of milk is still debated.
Lactose intolerant individuals have insufficient levels of lactase, the enzyme that metabolizes lactose into glucose and galactose, in their digestive system. In most cases this causes symptoms such as abdominal bloating and cramps, flatulence, diarrhea, nausea, borborygmi (rumbling stomach), or vomiting after consuming significant amounts of lactose. Some studies in the U.S. and elsewhere suggest that milk consumption by lactose intolerant individuals may be a significant cause of irritable bowel syndrome.
Most mammals normally become lactose intolerant after weaning, but some human populations have developed lactase persistence, in which lactase production continues into adulthood. It is estimated that 75% of adults worldwide show some decrease in lactase activity during adulthood. The frequency of decreased lactase activity ranges from 5% in northern Europe through 71% for Sicily to more than 90% in some African and Asian countries. This distribution is now thought to have been caused by recent natural selection favoring lactase persistant individuals in cultures that rely on dairy products.While it was first thought that this would mean that populations in Europe, India and Africa had high frequencies of lactase persistence because of a particular mutation, it has now been shown that lactase persistence is caused by several independently occurring mutations.
Lactose intolerance is a consequence of lactase deficiency, which may be either genetic or environmentally induced, depending on whether it is primary, secondary, or congenital. In any case, symptoms are caused by insufficient levels of the enzyme lactase in the lining of the duodenum. Lactose, a disaccharide molecule found in milk and dairy products, cannot be directly absorbed through the wall of the small intestine into the bloodstream so, in the absence of lactase, passes intact into the colon. Bacteria in the colon are able to metabolise lactose and the resulting fermentation produces copious amounts of gas (a mixture of hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane) that causes the various abdominal symptoms. The unabsorbed sugars and fermentation products also raises the osmotic pressure of the colon, resulting in an increased flow of water into the bowels (diarrhea).
Many dairy producers use rBGH as a way to increase milk production in their cows, resulting in up to 20% more production. However, the hormone causes udder inflammation in cows, which can lead to the contamination of the milk from secreted pus common in udder inflammation.
Also, antibiotics used to treat inflammation have been discovered in trace amounts in the milk. Such contamination leads many people to wonder whether milk is safe for daily human consumption.
In addition, milk produced by rBGH-treated cows has higher concentrations of insulin-like growth-factor-1 (IGF-1). Higher levels of IGF-1 have been indicated as a potential risk factor in prostate cancer.
In 1998, Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital reported in Science that men with IGF-1 levels in the highest quartile of study participants were 4.3% more likely to develop prostate cancer, compared to men with IGF-1 levels in the lowest quartile. Such a small increase in prostate cancer risk may or may not deter people from consuming milk from cows treated with rBGH.
Milk and Kidney stones
Calcium oxalate kidney stones are the most common type of kidney stones, which are hardened masses of minerals that form in the small filters of your kidneys.
New alternatives to milk, such as calcium-enriched juices, soymilk, and rice milks, have stormed the markets. In Asian markets, powdered calcium is a popular commodity, often spooned into a pot of rice or soup. Milk and other dairy products are large parts of many diets around the world, but are they smart choices in our daily lives? To answer this, we need an increased awareness of this familiar yet ever-changing substance.
Calcium Content
A large part of the ongoing milk advertisement campaign seeks to persuade people to drink milk for its calcium content. Indeed, calcium comprises a crucial aspect of human health. Not only is calcium needed for muscle contraction, but calcium lends to our bone structure, bone recovery (re-calcification), and bone health as well.
Human locomotion is made possible by rigid skeletons formed from calcium salts in the ground substance of bone. Less calcium therefore leads to weakened bones, resulting in the serious condition known as osteoporosis. Inappropriate levels of calcium can also lead to kidney stones, seizures, and body spasms. In addition, neurotransmitters specifically rely on calcium ions to continue to relay chemicals to areas of the body that need them. Lastly, calcium is an important factor in the blood coagulation cascade. In short, without calcium, humans could not survive.
The recommended daily allowance of calcium is approximately 800-1000 mg, although 1200 mg is ideal, according to the most recent update by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). The FDA also notes that the majority of Americans consume only 500-700 mg per day, which is not enough. This leads to the debate about milk. Milk contains calcium, magnesium, zinc, proteins, fat, sugars, and vitamins A and D, what some call the "perfect package." However, the FDA reminds consumers not to capitalize on one source of nutrition. It recommends a variety of foods, the best choices being grains and vegetable sources.
According to a list proposed by the "Not Milk" campaign, milk contains less calcium per given amount than other foods. Raw turnip greens or cooked turnips, watercress, and seeds (such as sunflower or sesame) all contain larger amounts of calcium compared to milk. Compare the 234 mg of calcium in a 100-gram portion of almonds to the surprisingly low value of 33-35 g of calcium per 100-gram portion in a typical milk sample (2% milk fat) from the store.
About 35% of one serving of milk (typically 240 mL) is calcium, which is a significant portion of the serving, but relatively calcium-poor when compared to most other sources of calcium, especially green leafy vegetables and grains. Milk still has more calcium per glass than some calcium-enriched juices, yet the calcium benefit of milk is still debated.
Lactose intolerance
Lactose intolerance, also called lactase deficiency and hypolactasia, is the inability to digest lactose, a sugar found in milk and to a lesser extent milk-derived dairy products.Lactose intolerant individuals have insufficient levels of lactase, the enzyme that metabolizes lactose into glucose and galactose, in their digestive system. In most cases this causes symptoms such as abdominal bloating and cramps, flatulence, diarrhea, nausea, borborygmi (rumbling stomach), or vomiting after consuming significant amounts of lactose. Some studies in the U.S. and elsewhere suggest that milk consumption by lactose intolerant individuals may be a significant cause of irritable bowel syndrome.
Most mammals normally become lactose intolerant after weaning, but some human populations have developed lactase persistence, in which lactase production continues into adulthood. It is estimated that 75% of adults worldwide show some decrease in lactase activity during adulthood. The frequency of decreased lactase activity ranges from 5% in northern Europe through 71% for Sicily to more than 90% in some African and Asian countries. This distribution is now thought to have been caused by recent natural selection favoring lactase persistant individuals in cultures that rely on dairy products.While it was first thought that this would mean that populations in Europe, India and Africa had high frequencies of lactase persistence because of a particular mutation, it has now been shown that lactase persistence is caused by several independently occurring mutations.
Lactose intolerance is a consequence of lactase deficiency, which may be either genetic or environmentally induced, depending on whether it is primary, secondary, or congenital. In any case, symptoms are caused by insufficient levels of the enzyme lactase in the lining of the duodenum. Lactose, a disaccharide molecule found in milk and dairy products, cannot be directly absorbed through the wall of the small intestine into the bloodstream so, in the absence of lactase, passes intact into the colon. Bacteria in the colon are able to metabolise lactose and the resulting fermentation produces copious amounts of gas (a mixture of hydrogen, carbon dioxide and methane) that causes the various abdominal symptoms. The unabsorbed sugars and fermentation products also raises the osmotic pressure of the colon, resulting in an increased flow of water into the bowels (diarrhea). Risks of drinking milk from cows injected with rBGH
Many dairy producers use rBGH as a way to increase milk production in their cows, resulting in up to 20% more production. However, the hormone causes udder inflammation in cows, which can lead to the contamination of the milk from secreted pus common in udder inflammation. Also, antibiotics used to treat inflammation have been discovered in trace amounts in the milk. Such contamination leads many people to wonder whether milk is safe for daily human consumption.
In addition, milk produced by rBGH-treated cows has higher concentrations of insulin-like growth-factor-1 (IGF-1). Higher levels of IGF-1 have been indicated as a potential risk factor in prostate cancer.
In 1998, Harvard School of Public Health and Brigham and Women's Hospital reported in Science that men with IGF-1 levels in the highest quartile of study participants were 4.3% more likely to develop prostate cancer, compared to men with IGF-1 levels in the lowest quartile. Such a small increase in prostate cancer risk may or may not deter people from consuming milk from cows treated with rBGH.
Milk and Kidney stones
Calcium oxalate kidney stones are the most common type of kidney stones, which are hardened masses of minerals that form in the small filters of your kidneys.
