Did you know that in Medieval England parents would tie rabbits’ feet around their babies’ necks to ward off illness? Doctors would also spit on wounds because saliva was believed to have healing properties.
Indeed, history is replete with unfounded health beliefs, and to everyone’s detriment, the milk myth is among the most tenacious.
Milk is much more than just a drink; it’s a cultural phenomenon that can be traced back thousands of years. And still today, the milk myth resonates loud and clear: in 2001, the average American child consumed 104 quarts of cow’s milk.
Milk depletes the calcium from your bones
The milk myth has spread around the world based on the flawed belief that this protein and calcium-rich drink is essential to support good overall health and bone health in particular at any age. It is easy to understand that the confusion about milk’s imaginary benefits stems from the fact that it contains calcium – around 300 mg per cup.
But many scientific studies have shown an assortment of detrimental health effects directly linked to milk consumption. And the most surprising link is that not only do we barely absorb the calcium in cow’s milk (especially if pasteurized), but to make matters worse, it actually increases calcium loss from the bones. What an irony this is!
Here’s how it happens. Like all animal protein, milk acidifies the body pH which in turn triggers a biological correction. You see, calcium is an excellent acid neutralizer and the biggest storage of calcium in the body is – you guessed it… in the bones. So the very same calcium that our bones need to stay strong is utilized to neutralize the acidifying effect of milk. Once calcium is pulled out of the bones, it leaves the body via the urine, so that the surprising net result after this is an actual calcium deficit.
Knowing this, you’ll understand why statistics show that countries with the lowest consumption of dairy products also have the lowest fracture incidence in their population (there’s more on this later).
But the sad truth is that most mainstream health practitioners ignore these proven facts. I know it firsthand because when I was diagnosed with osteoporosis, my doctor recommended that I drink lots of milk in addition to taking Fosamax.
Fortunately, I did neither, because I knew that…
Cow’s milk is custom-designed for calves
Thanks to our creative ingenuity and perhaps related to our ancient survival needs, we adopted the dubious habit of drinking another species’ milk. Nobody can dispute that cow’s milk is an excellent food source for calves. Weighing around 100 pounds at birth, a calf typically gains approximately eight times its weight by the time it is weaned. But unlike humans, once calves are weaned, they never drink milk again. And the same applies to every mammalian species on this planet.
Also, each mammalian species has its own “designer” milk, and cow’s milk is no exception. For example, cow’s milk contains on average three times the amount of protein than human milk which creates metabolic disturbances in humans that have detrimental bone health consequences.
It’s important to bear in mind that mother’s milk is excellent nourishment for human babies, but its composition is very different from cow’s milk.
Scientific studies show that milk increases fracture risk
Many scientific studies contradict the conventional wisdom that milk and dairy consumption help reduce osteoporotic fractures. Surprisingly, studies demonstrating that milk and dairy products actually fail to protect bones from fractures outnumber studies that prove otherwise. Even drinking milk from a young age does not protect against future fracture risk but actually increases it. Shattering the “savings account” calcium theory, Cumming and Klineberg report their study findings as follows:
“Consumption of dairy products, particularly at age 20 years, was associated with an increased risk of hip fracture in old age. (“Case-Control Study of Risk Factors for Hip Fractures in the Elderly”. American Journal of Epidemiology. Vol. 139, No. 5, 1994).1
And the 12 year long Harvard Nurses’ Health Study found that those who consumed the most calcium from dairy foods broke more bones than those who rarely drank milk. This is a broad study based on 77,761 women aged 34 through 59 years of age.
In the authors’ own words:
“These data do not support the hypothesis that higher consumption of milk or other food sources of calcium by adult women protects against hip or forearm fractures.” (Source: Feskanich D, Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA. Milk, dietary calcium, and bone fractures in women: a 12-year prospective study. American Journal of Public Health. 1997).2
Shocking statistics ignored by mainstream medicine
In the Osteoporosis Reversal Program one of the topics I discuss is the complete disregard of scientific evidence that discredits milk and dairy products as the best source of calcium.
One exception is Amy Lanou Ph.D., nutrition director for the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine in Washington, D.C., who states that:
“The countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis are the ones where people drink the most milk and have the most calcium in their diets. The connection between calcium consumption and bone health is actually very weak, and the connection between dairy consumption and bone health is almost nonexistent.”
Surprised? You shouldn’t be, because as I mentioned earlier in this article…
Milk is an acidifying animal protein
Like any other animal derived protein-rich food, milk has a positive potential renal acid load (PRAL) which triggers a protective biological reaction to neutralize all the damaging acidic protein before it reaches the kidneys.
The body is designed for survival, so it sacrifices bone density to protect the kidneys and urinary tract because the latter are essential to survival. And the most readily available source of acid neutralizer is in the bones. So even though milk contains calcium, it ends up sapping your bones of that crucial mineral. But that’s not all because…
Today’s milk is a processed food
Until the end of the 19th century in Europe and the beginning of the 20th century in the US, milk was consumed unpasteurized or raw. Later on, homogenization became the industry’s standard. These processes further alter milk’s chemistry and actually increase its detrimental acidifying effects.
Raw milk advocates claim that if cow’s milk is left “as is” it is a healthy and wholesome drink. It is true that raw milk is less acidifying than processed milk and that pasteurization and homogenization may cause a long list of digestive and other health problems, but I still don’t recommend drinking any kind of cow’s milk.
Nowadays, milking cows are given antibiotics and most are also injected with a genetically engineered form of bovine growth hormone (rBGH). A man-made or synthetic hormone used to artificially increase milk production, rBGH also increases blood levels of the insulin-growth factor 1 (IGF-1) in those who drink it. And higher levels of IGF-1 are linked to several cancers.
This should not be ignored, especially in view of recent information by Samuel Epstein, MD, Professor of Environmental Medicine at the University of Illinois School of Public Health, and Chairman of the Cancer Prevention Coalition. In a press release titled “Monsanto’s Hormonal Milk Poses Serious Risks of Breast Cancer, Besides Other Cancers” (June 21, 1998) Dr. Epstein concludes that:
“Drinking rBGH milk would thus be expected to significantly increase IGF-1 blood levels and consequently to increase risks of developing breast cancer and promoting its invasiveness.”
Even though organic milk is from cows that are not given antibiotics or rBHG, if you truly care about your bone health and your overall health, you should…
Avoid drinking cow’s milk
As I explain in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program and contrary to mainstream recommendations, drinking milk and eating lots of dairy products are not the answer to reversing osteoporosis. And while in the Osteoporosis Reversal Program no food is completely off limits, I strongly recommend that you explore the different milk substitute options that I will list for you here.
But first, I’d like to clarify that unsweetened fermented or cultured dairy products such as yogurt, kefir, and sour cream are acid neutral. Yogurt in particular is chock-full of beneficial qualities. As is the case with milk, organic yogurt does not have rBGH, but even several of the most well-known yogurt brands have stopped using the bovine growth hormone (rBGH). You should call your favorite yogurt company to confirm. One more clarification: when I say unsweetened I mean without sugar or any artificial sweetener. However, you can add honey or stevia, a zero calorie plant-derived sweetener that is delicious and alkalizing as well. I like to carry around stevia packets in my purse so that I’m always able to sweeten food or drinks when I’m on the go.
The best milk substitutes
My favorite milk substitute is unsweetened almond milk, not only because it is alkalizing (as almonds are), but also because it’s delicious and tastes very similar to milk. I even cook with it!
If almond milk is hard to get, you can also try rice or soy milk. I strongly suggest consuming only organic soy milk to insure it’s not made with genetically modified soy. There is also some controversy about unfermented soy products, so try to use it in moderation.
What Else Haven’t They Told You?
What else have you been told about bone health by your doctor or other “experts” that is flat out wrong? What other “facts” (like drinking milk does a body good) are keeping you from optimal health?
Myths like these are a big reason I created the Osteoporosis Reversal Program. To give you the straight scoop on how to deal with osteoporosis the natural way.
I can help you take control of your future.
Learn more about the Osteoporosis Reversal Program here →
And remember, if you ever hear someone ask “Got milk?” smile and think to yourself “No, because I know better!”
And as always, I’d love to hear your thoughts. Share them with me and the rest of our community by leaving a comment below.
References
1 Cumming RG, Klineberg RJ. “Case-Control Study of Risk Factors for Hip Fractures in the Elderly”. American Journal of Epidemiology. Vol. 139, No. 5, 1994
2 Feskanich D, Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Colditz GA. Milk, dietary calcium, and bone fractures in women: a 12-year prospective study. American Journal of Public Health. 1997
For goodness sake, its not about WHAT makes the milk its about WHATS IN the milk. And WHATS IN the milk is perfectly fine for human consumption. Its the fact that, as with most foods, generalization cannot be done regarding affect since some people have special dietary requirements which when not adhered to can have negative effects. If drinking cows milk effects you in a negative way then of course dont drink it, however to say it effects EVERYONE negatively (and call it fact), well thats just ill informed.
I’m well.. Considering milk turns acidic in EVERYONE’S body, and draws calcium from EVERYONE’S bones… Yes, I’d say it affects, hmm, EVERYONE. (call that a fact.) I suggest you get informed, before calling everyone else misinformed. Good god people are thick in the head.
I agree that it is not about what makes a food product, after all we eat honey too don’t we? It is also not about what is in a food quite frankly. It is about what a food does to the body once ingested. There is a very large body of research that points to problems with consumption of large amounts of milk. It is just as easy to use a little soy milk or almond where you would usually have fluid milk and keep enjoying your yogurt as usual.
I would ask all of you skeptics out there to stop and approach your food intake with an open mind. And don’t pretend to be scientists and start citing calcium intake rates and essential amino acids as if you knew what these things truly are on a biological level and how the human body processes them. Most, if not all of you reading this article are not scientists specializing in human biology and even if you were, if we’ve learned anything in the last 100 years, it’s that the science and understanding of how the human body works is constantly evolving. We have epidemic rates of cancer, heart disease and diabetes in the U.S. and it’s not all owing to coca cola, McDonalds and a lack of exercise. I’m in my 30s and up until a year ago I lead what I considered to be a healthy lifestyle, exercised, no sodas, no fast food, plenty of steak, chicken, milk and cheese with the occasional salad. Yet, I was developing a gut, and much to my chagrin, high blood pressure. I began avid research and decided to cut out virtually all dairy (except for occasional cheese I enjoy and a little cream in my coffee) and significantly cut back on meat intake. I’ve lost the gut and my blood pressure has declined. This is anecdotal, I know, but I feel great and am now eating a wide variety of plant based products. We all need to eat more plants, and in my mind, dairy is suspect.
yeah ur right.. i like to drink los of fresh milk since i was a small kids and now im 27yrs old. i developed a cancer last year and it was horrible.now my cancer had cured and i swear i will never drink cow milk and eat non fresh meat and other products out there it’s just no use and maybe will harm our body.more fruits and vegetables are a good way to healthy lifestyle…cheers =)
I’d Like to know your Oncologist Name,,,SO,,Your Cured,,for a Fact. Why doesn’t the Board of Cancer Reserch where My Onconligist sits on the Board of 7 is Detouring me From Milk Consumption. This is nothing More than a Harvard Hack trying to Sell Books.
Probably why they don’t tell you that sugar acts like an afterburner for your cancer because you are a cash cow and you will keep coming back for all that cancer treatment. If you studied anything you would know the Rockefellas founded the FDA and moved every school studying natural medicing to chemical medicine because the Rockefellas paid them to as long as they didn’t practice natural medicine any more.
Dairy is not suspect. You lived a “healthy” diet full of fat and sodium. High blood pressure and your gut can be attributed to your “plenty of steak, chicken, milk and cheese” with the “occasional salad”. Look at the USDA recommendations for diets and their new website Myplate. I work in physical activity and nutrition and what you just said about your diet is the following: Plenty of steak – high fat, high calorie, and depending on how you prepare it high sodium item; plenty of chicken – lower fat, medium calorie alternative, again can be high in sodium depending on your preparation; plenty of dairy – a high fat high calorie item (ESPECIALLY CHEESE – cheese is made by a process that utilizes the proteins and fats of milk) and depending on the cheese, also a good source of…you guessed it, sodium.
Your occasional salad should have been more than occasional. Dairy isn’t suspect, your portion control and dietary choices are.
This article is funny. I agree that pasteurized milk is bad for you. Raw milk however is quite the opposite. Raw milk is organic, it’s natural.
To state that you drink unsweetened almond milk is even funnier. Because all almonds in the US are pasteurized. They are not raw at all.
Raw milk may or may not be organic. Being natural doesn’t necessarily make something good. Unpasteurised milk can contain harmful bacteria. The purpose of pasteurisation is to kill bacteria. It is not about ‘cooking’ it.
All Almonds are not pasterized, just the ones you buy from the grocery store, Swanson Health Foods sell raw unpasterized almonds and other nuts, check it out.
You know natural doesn’t equate to ‘good for you’. Polio, cancer, HIV are all 100% natural; isn’t that great news? We have many ways to combat the more negative aspects of this natural world so natural really doesn’t mean much. Instead it might be wise to review what the actual data says about the effects and make a decision from there.
This article is nothing but wild accusations with NO scientific support. Milk has essential fatty acids and is full of amino acids that we need on a daily basis. Without these essential amino acids our bodies cannot fully repair tissue/organs as well as muscle.
scientific will never understand human biology for the rest of the life..they are just making stories of how good they undertsand it by using microscope and experiment.dont get fooled =)
Wild accusations? That’s funny, because there is LOT of support. Did you know that certain tribes in Africa consume absolutely NO dairy, and have never ONCE had a case of osteoporosis? I think you need to do a bit more research before you start throwing around “wild accusations.”
Cannot post my remarks saying I have said this before! I have never been on this page before.
Drink milk with every meal, I eat cheese also. I am 66 years old and I haven’t broken any bones yet. My friend did not drink milk or eat cheese and she in a nursing home and is always breaking bones. I think this is just another ploy to sell books.
no claudine,human biology is a very mystery things in ou body.firstly it react diffrently in every people but for me the milk is a harm in my body..i get thicken up mucus and get lot’s of pimple.the condition didnt stay good..but my health improved after i drink raw vege and fruits.it’s amazing and i feel rejuvenated..no one will understand human biology =)
you probably don’t do any physical activity in order to break a bone!
I think you need a lot more substantive peer-reviewed research before you can make these sorts of claims.
There is a lot more websites to back this up if common since isn’t working for you! If everyone must drink milk almond milk is delicious and goats milk is a healthy alternative according to what I’ve researched so far. There is studies being done about this every were and the facts are facts everyone is just afraid of change and the fact that our country does indeed lie to us………but I’m not going to risk my family drinking cows milk and being unhealthy because I love them and even though I love the stuff I love my family more and I care what happens to there body’s!
fully support your comment
amen
My family drank 16oz of warm chocolate MILK every morning and night until the kids got to be in high school and then it was only about every other night and we still cook with milk and drink it at dinner or with snacks on a regular basis….and guess what???? not only are my kids extremely healthy but they have grown big and strong (my sons are both the tallest on our family tree) and they have gotten athletic scholarships for college. Oh, and by the way….not one person in our family has ever had a broken bone.. When people ask me what i feed them, you know what i say? MILK! when they were growing up… MILK. Because “I love my family.”
Get off your high horse. You don’t know anything and neither do scientists… she’s just trying to sell her book with something original by using only the “bad” (if you wanna call it that) of milk and ignoring all of the good. If you’re lactose intolerant, Ok don’t drink milk and eat dairy…but otherwise…its not gonna kill you. In fact, it can do a lot of good for you and your kids.
You’re an idiot! You know why your sons are the tallest in the family tree??? It’s because of all the steroids passed through the cows and other processed animal products you feed your kids!! You’re as bad as all these other ignorant fools, You bad mouth the facts because you were taught bogus things growing up that aren’t true. I’ll bet you think heart disease and cancer are hereditary as well lmao When it comes down to it just remember we were created in the GARDEN of eden…
“you don’t know anything and neither do the scientists.” LOL!! So you haven’t gotten your biology degree or studied all your life to be a scientist, but you know Sooo much and actual scientists know nothing? Haha it’s you who needs to get off your damn ancient high horse.
I’ve never heard of anyone curing a disease from drinking milk or halting the spread of cancer from increasing dairy consumption. Have you? I have, however, heard countless stories of people’s declining conditions improve after ending dairy consumption. I like to take a more objective approach when I make decisions regarding my health. I usually weigh both sides of a situation and decide based on which one I think is the most logical choice. So in regards to dairy, I’ll take my chances and avoid it all together. Is there anything in dairy that I can’t get from a plant-based food? No, there is not. So why even take that chance? I don’t eat a particular food simply because everyone else does or because “it tastes so good”. I eat food to nourish my body and protect it from disease. Anyone out there have any stories of their health improving dramatically after increasing animal-based food consumption? (I’m waiting…)
Lets leave the animals alone and leave the milk to the young of the mother who produced it.
Will S.
Vegan since 07/12/12
the best way to ultimate health is drink blendd smoothie of vegetables and fruits.info of recipe through dr.tom wu(a cancer surviving doctor) recommended human should eat colourful fruits such as orange,yellow(lemon),purple(grapes),green (apple) etc etc… after a month u drink u will feel rejuvenated and skin more firm like a baby skin and it’s glowing too.should add some spinach or celery and blend it raw..the second thing is excercise..i found out swimming is the best sport for me to continue excercise because the gravity is low and you need to use all ur muscle to move inside the water..dont get wrong because you also can sweat inside the water when ur excercise.u will found out how good is ur shape of the body after u swim for one week… good luck to ur healthy lifestyle ^^ (im a cancer survivor of mediasternal germ cell)
Nice informed comment there <–sarcasm. Any different from the Milk industry invading our living rooms on the idiot box telling us "Milk does a body good"? yes there's an agenda there too, only there's a lot more money to go around in that industry.
You can argue that milk taste delicious or maybe even that it makes you feel great when you drink it, but is it not common sense that human beings are not made to drink the milk of a cow? why not elephant milk or cat milk? nope only human milk and only during the first couple of years.
Here's another nugget of common sense for you that you won't see in a "got milk" commercial. Cow's only produce milk when they are pregnant. on most dairy farms this involves a farmers gloved fist. got a visual yet? When the big day comes, guess who doesn't get the milk that you're drinking? …still thinking about it? Milk is gross and we don't need it, baby cows do.
Really? You think a cow only produces milk when its pregnant?? Ok, cows… like all other mammalians produce milk as long as milk is being used. Maybe before you make ignorant uneducated comments you should go to a dairy farm and see how this all works. Cows, just like humans dont produce milk when they are pregnant… you dont see a bunch of soon to be moms leaking breastmilk all over the place at 7 months pregnant, well cows dont either. Their mild comes in shortly after delivery, just like most other mammals. So yes, they get the cows pregnant, they carry a calf to full term and deliver, and either they nurse that calf to weaning and then they are milked after that, or the calf is moved to a different suckling mother until it is weaned. As long as that cow is milked daily, she will produce milk. The same as a human mother suckling her child, as long as she is breastfeeding her mild stays in. So please do some research and dont always believe what animal activists tell you.
Brenna – you need to educate yourself about dairy cows and the procedure for producing milk for human consumption. Have YOU been to a DAIRY farm yourself? Obviously not. I grew up around dairy farms and I know; the entire means to produce milk is completely un-natural! Adult female cows are ARTIFICALLY inseminated, and loaded up with hormones, chemicals, and antibiotics! Once impregnated, they can produce milk for up to six years without being pregnant, if milked properly on a daily basis, while being fed the same hormones and chemicals. They give birth and most of the time, the calf is whisked away before the mother even gets to see, clean, or nurture her baby. Then she stays in a confined area only to be machine milked until she dies! Female calves will be raised to become dairy cows and male calves will be raised and slaughtered for meat. Most male calves are killed for beef, but some will end up in the veal industry. BTW…where do you think dairy cows get THEIR calcium from? They don’t drink their own milk…and they are herbivores (they only eat plants!!). Yet we, as humans need their milk instead of plants to survive???? Ha! What a joke!
You also need to do a little research on breast feeding and not just go by your own experience!! The reason you don’t “see a bunch of soon to be moms leaking breast milk all over the place at 7 months pregnant” is because they wear nursing pads once they start lactating – and many absolutely DO lactate while pregnant! You also don’t see a bunch of nursing moms leaking milk all over the place for the very same reason. I leaked all the time but no one ever knew or saw it! And FYI – A woman does NOT need to be pregnant to lactate! By the same means they force dairy cows to lactate…they put adopting mothers on hormone therapy so that they can nurse their adopted babies.
Know your facts before you call someone else out as being ignorant.
@ Ginger Maybe you should not judge; Not all Dairy Farms use chemicals and such. There are such things as All-Natural, do your research. And as for the breastfeeding part, most pregnant women do not leak and if they do it is not much, not enough to milk that is for sure (Experience from many women…) Get your facts straight, because EVERY story is different and not ALL milk is pasteurized and hormones are not always added.
Baby cows do not get to nurse at all. The males are fed milk in a bottle until old enough to be sold and the females until they can become dairy producers themselves. It is not pretty and the mother cows are not even allowed to see their calf on birth; it is dragged out of sight the moment of delivery so that the baby does not latch on and so that the mother is not stressed as much by the removal of the baby later thus reducing her milk making capacity. As long as she is not stressed she may produce milk as long as she is pumped until the day she has run her course and then sold for butchering. Nice life hugh?
Ginger, high five!
Omg…lol… Are you retarded?
It is a good thing it is a free country. New information may not fit our view of the world. The fact is there will always be new discoveries and not everything that we have been taught is correct, otherwise we would still believe the world is flat. If you don’t like what you read here you can read a different book. There are many people whose experience has not been so great, drinking lots of milk. I know many people who have problems with milk products. If you love milk, drink it. If you feel great while on it, good for you. We are not all the same. Different viewpoints help us examine our our health and take an active role it. It is not being forced on anyone. I welcome new studies and ideas so I would not say this book is wrong or right without even reading it first. We all know the field of health knowledge is constantly changing.
My family drinks a lot of milk. If we stop, what is there to drink? I am being serious and not disrespectful. I am not sure now. Water from the tap is not good for us as well, juice is not good for us because of the sugar, nor is kool aid of course. What do we drink?
Angela — Almond milk is REALLY REALLY delicious, and an excellent replacement for cow’s milk. I made the switch about a year ago with no transition problems whatsoever. Get the unsweetened kind – “Original” Almond Breeze brand seems to be the most common, even found in ‘regular’ grocery stores; says “40 cals per serving” in a little circle on the carton.
Angela,
I agree with Jill, Almond Milk is the way to go. I usually prefer the sweetened Vanilla for drinking becaue it is delicious, but to each her own. Try out the different kinds. Even try soy milk if you want, but Almond milk is the least fattening with the most protein and calcium.
Also regarding the water thing. My parents buy bottled water, but I don’t support that. I would suggest getting a little PUR or Brita filter and buying yourself a water bottle. You save money, you stay hydrated, and everyone is happy.
Tea is another great drink to make. Warm up some water and put in a bag/loose leaf tea. You can buy stevia or agave which are sweeteners that do not damage the body the way that sugar does. Agave is a natural nectar from a type of cactus (i believe) and Stevia is a plant. All good stuff! Good luck
Sugar is poison, whether it is in sweetened almond milk or candy, all sugars are the same, they cause wrinkles and old age.
My son and I like water with either lemon, lime, or orange squeezed in it!
I would suggest a filter on your tap and drink the water. Per haps if you still can’t take the “tatelessness” of the water add a small amount of 100% juice to that water. No more than an ounce of juice in a large glass of water should do the trick. Cow’s milk really is for cows.
Really??? Cows milk is only for cows huh!? I guess lettuce is only for rabbits, and bananas only for monkeys!?… I guess u think orange juice is only for oranges too, huh?!
Now let me tell YOU a lil secret… WE ARE HUMAN… We have evolved to be the badest anything to EVER have walked the planet. We have spent millions of years evolving to get here… And we didnt get here by being lil passive pushovers. You can cry like a buncha lil schoolgirls if you like but I truely believe if milk was overall bad for everyone, someone somewhere with SOME credibility would have said something by now… Instead of some “internet” bloggers with conspiracy issues and a knack for fear mongering.
O… and btw… Its not that we are the only species that consumes milk past our infant stages… Its that WE ARE THE ONLY SPECIES SMART ENOUGH AND FORTUNATE ENOUGH TO KNOW HOW TO PASTURIZE IT AND ENJOY/CONSUME IT FOR OUR ENTIRE LIFETIME!!!
Seriously… Get some facts or get a life
Tick tock… Im sure its just a matter of time till the moderator removes my comments for making sense… Aaaaattttiiiiccccaaaaaaa…lol
I am not an expert and drink about a half gallon of organic milk a month. I believe that a little moderation with all food is important. What you state is just plain silly though and makes no sense… Monkeys do not produce bananas, rabbits do not produce lettuce, and the orange juice comment is just a sarcastic remark trying to belittle someone. Facts are in the eye of the beholder. Do you believe everything the TV and magazines tell you? Are these facts or stories made up by people with an agenda. Everything now adays is ran by money… money money money. you probably make some money on milk somehow and are catching feelings because this article and comments may somehow affect your income or family life style. Next time before you comment remember that no one has the facts and that we are all here to learn. You probably also believe that oil is the best source for energy.
Cow’s milk comes directly from a cow and is made for a calf! Your argument about lettuce for rabbits and bananas for a monkey is irrelevant since they are fruit and veggies and are made for all living creatures! (I am assuming you were being tongue and check with this comment?) Also, my brother had M.S. and he removed all dairy from his diet and he is completely off of his medicine and feels great! Also, there have been tons of scientific studies on cultures that do not have dairy as a part of their diet and cancer, M.S., and heart disease are almost non existent! And, their bones are much stronger and well into their old age!
Rabbits don’t naturally produce lettuce and monkeys don’t naturally produce bananas, so what is your argument? Or are you here to show off how ridiculous you sound.
Can’t even get into this moronic conversation about to drink or not to drink cow milk. People give way too many f**ks about what other people do with their lives. Do what you feel is right for you and yours. Suffer or succeed as the consequence… Simple.
I just wonder what the world would be like if there was human breast milk in the fridges at the grocery store to be consumed on the scale of cow milk…
Lmao… You’re an idiot. I don’t even have a reply to you, you’re so stupid. It hurts me how stupid everything you just said was.
there are some people here, that whenever they dont have an answer to a smart written comment, they write ‘you are stupid’. It almost seems like its the same person, posting under different names.
Musicmel – maybe try to write something that makes more sense and that shows your point of view, and WHY you think the other person is not right, but stupid.
drink raw vegetable and fruits smoothie.. information alot in the websites especially method by dr.tom wu..trust me..dont drink milk
I forgot to mention that some studies have said that lifting weights has a much more positive impact on bone strength than getting calcium. Also, the more meat protein we eat, the more calcium is taken from our bones.
I do not believe that we have the right answers for diet here in the US. I came from a household that really focused on eating healthy. My mother is 82 and has been a vegetarian for 50 years. Much of that time her protein came from milk and milk products, especially till the other milks became available. She has not been a very active person. She has sadly lost 6 inches in height. In the last three months she has started eating more milk products, but not milk. She has lost another inch in the last month. She eats less sugar than anyone else I know. By most peoples standards she has a very healthy diet, lots of veggies, beans, grains, eats organic. I have come to the conclusion that I can not follow her type of diet since she restricts so many foods. She has no fish,meat,wheat,sugar or eggs.
My Dad drinks milk everyday. He loves milk and eats meat and everything else. He has lost about 5 inches. He is about the same age. He has had to have heart surgery for clogged arteries.
I was a vegetarian for 13 years, my health got worse as time went on but I did not eat enough raw veggies and that was when pasta was said to be good for you. I also depended heavily on milk products. Now I do not drink milk since when I drink it I get so clogged up with mucus, I feel awful. I think genetics must play a large part in our bodies reaction to milk. Now, I would not drink a lot of milk even if I could drink it. I believe only raw milk, in small amounts would be ok.
I think balance is key to good health, not too much of any one food. My viewpoint is read, read, read, and take responsibility for your own health. Do not put faith in every word said. Do not eat much meat, sugar or junk food. If you have health problems research more and make some changes Be open to new foods and keep moving,moving,moving. Also keep peace in your life, cannot be healthy when your under stress. If there is a lot of controversy over a certain food, better to eat less of it since there are many alternatives you can eat.
I agree with you 100%. Moderation with everything in life is the key, not just with different foods. This goes with exercise, entertainment, and everything else. I believe this may be the first sensible comment I have seen. I know I am nobody, but congratulations on having common sense.
Hi,
I read this article with lots of interest because I drink a lot of milk since I was a kid.Sometimes almost 1l/day.I know that contains small amounts of serotonin which can make you addicted to it.Is this true?I’m 27 years old now.I started to feel cracks in my knees and made a research about it.Could be the milk the problem?I started to drink soy and rice milk hope will improve.
what about cheese?too much soya,rice or almond milk can be bad for you too?
Would you recommend then coconut milk? I only see that you recommend almond milk or organic milk. I drink coconut milk all the time.
We do drink homemade almond and hemp milk. We find hemp milk the healthier and best tasting. You can make your own hemp milk, it’s super easier, here is what we do: https://on.fb.me/OiNUx7
We never drink soy milks or even store bought almond milk (because they usually contain added unhealthy things especially carrageenan <3
Read raw milk and the Amish study 2012……it confirms the health benefits of Raw Milk….go to the Weston A Price website for starters…once you’ve studied the history of raw milk, without bias you will learn of the numerous benefits..Dr Crewe, one of the founders of the Mayo Clinic has over 10,00 documented studies of putting patients on Raw milk exclusive diets for months at a time with dramatic results. Europe is now returning to raw milk in mass both medically and in general, raw milk vending machines are now common place in many European countries not to mention the Queen of England has a dedicated herd for the entire royal family…Just for fun ask your dentist if he can tell after pulling a tooth if the patient was raised on raw milk…The roots are substantially stronger and deeper.
Great article , finally the truth about milk and its effect on our health
I should like to know whether Goat Milk is better than Cows Milk.
THANK YOU ! SERIOUSLY 🙂
I have a question about one of your comments in the above article: “Here’s how it happens. Like all animal protein, milk acidifies the body pH which in turn triggers a biological correction. You see, calcium is an excellent acid neutralizer and the biggest storage of calcium in the body is – you guessed it… in the bones. So the very same calcium that our bones need to stay strong is utilized to neutralize the acidifying effect of milk. Once calcium is pulled out of the bones, it leaves the body via the urine, so that the surprising net result after this is an actual calcium deficit.”
I have never heard this before, and I have taken my fair share of physiology classes. I tried to search for papers or articles supporting this statement (and backing it up with research) with but I came up empty handed. Would you be able to cite your source for this statement? Or point me to a website where I can read more about it? You have piqued my curiosity.
Information to support this can be found in Dr. T. Colin Campbell’s ground breaking book The China Study. Here, he outlines his scientific research regarding meat and milk and you can read about the studies he did that support the above claims.
The China Study: If you only read one book the rest of your life, this is it. I started reading as one person and ended up being different person. I am now a vegan.
Dr. Campbell begins his book, in the chapter “House of Proteins” laying out a convincing argument of why animal-based proteins (particularly casein, the protein found in cow’s milk) are harmful to the body. To support his thesis, Dr. Campbell falls back on his life of research (most notable of which is “The China Study”, which Chou EnLai, the Premier of China in the early 1970s funded when he was dying of cancer. It is the largest and most comprehensive demographic study ever conducted that looks at what people eat and their levels of general health. Dr. Campbell was one of the team of researchers appointed to conduct this study.)
Dr. Campbell never stretches the findings of his studies too far, and is quick to make clear that the correlations found in his studies does not necessarily mean causation- that is, just because populations that consume more animal fats and animal-based proteins have high incidences of “diseases of affluence” (cancer, heart disease, stroke) does not mean that these proteins cause such diseases. But the combination of the correlations, with the clear and powerful way that Dr. Campbell outlines his observations of how animal-based proteins can disrupt some of the body’s most essential organic processes, allows one to comfortably make a strong probabilistic guess that these type of foods are best eliminated from one’s diet.
The book gives the reader all the latest scientific data from 65 counties across China and the results of questionnaires and blood tests on 6,500 adults. This data was compared to studies done in other countries and the US. The evidence revealed that people who consume a mostly plant-based diet had far less disease than those who consume the standard western diet with a high percentage of animal protein. In fact, the majority of people in the world who do not have the “luxury” of consuming much animal protein are not plagued by cancer, diabetes, heart disease, stroke and osteoporosis that are common in western societies.
The meat and dairy industries are going to fight this book the same way the tobacco industry fought and tried to suppress the information linking smoking to heart disease and cancer. There is already a campaign to discredit this book by the dairy industry. Although the meat and dairy industries will attempt to portray the information in this book as radical, the only thing that is radical are all the diseases afflicting Americans today that are the result of eating the way the meat and dairy industries have brainwashed us into believing is healthy. If you want to change your life for the better then read this book.
A book is not source. A source is a scientific paper with biotechnological data explaining said clam which should not be hard to link to. Generalization of different studies around the word is not prove, it is “assumption” or a starting point for a study.
The book contains scientific studies. Dr. Campbell is a renowned biochemist at Cornell. You probably should have looked up the book or Dr. Campbell before making any “assumptions”.
If you don’t have time to read the whole China Study, watch the documentary “Forks Over Knives” You can find it on Netflix
I’d like to believe i am living proof Milk makes bones stronger, i am 33 years old, have drank milk and ate cheese almost like a riligion my entire life:P and i have NEVER not once broken or even slightly fractured a bone in my life, not even in my hands or feet. And there have been many an instance in my life where i probably should have or a normal person probably would have.
I will give comments to David saying he has no broken bones due to his drinking milk. At the moment you are still young, you have no problem. You just wait when you grow old, old people suffers many bone problems
I hope you have done the right thing. Good luck to you.
Chao
I don’t know if the article about milk is true or not.
I’m not young, 63, but like David I’ve drunk milk my entire life, including school milk every day as a child.
I broke my jaw in a car crash but that’s it. I played rugby for more than 20 years, fell off my roller skates, bicycle and motorcyle more times than I can remember. Had an X-ray a few years ago when I had a knee problem; the doctor commented that my bones were “dense”. I’ve twisted ankles, torn muscles, damaged tendons and ligaments … but my bones have never been a problem. I’ve slowed down but am still an active, professional-level ballroom dancer. And I’m going to continue having milk every morning with my breakfast. If it ain’t broke [excuse the pun] don’t fix it!
I’m only here because someone sent an email to my mom scaring her about milk but I have to say, you sound pretty hot. If I were a bit older and didn’t have a boyfriend I might have a crush on you.
@ David…I don’t drink milk and never really liked it. I’m 36 and never had any issues either..don’t think you drinking and eating dairy proves anything. We have been lucky is all.
you’re only 33. most vegans don’t break their bones by the time they’re 33 either good luck with your bones when you’re 70.
I am 74 years old and have osteopenia. Is it oo late to stop my intake of milk?
Change to raw milk..
It’s very simple when you break it down to common sense! Dairy cows are herbivores (they eat ONLY plants) and they do not drink their own milk. So…WHERE do they get THEIR calcium from? Hellooooo!!??!!? Plus, humans don’t need all the added hormones, antibiotics, bacteria, and chemicals that milk is laden with!
You mentioned in the first email of sent to me that a diet high in protein helps Ca absorption and deposit within the bone yet your milk article contradicts this. It seems you are striving for an alkaline blood rendering PH diet yet you recommend to stop consuming milk because of the high protein that renders an acidic Ph. Please explain this contradiction.
Bump for a reply on this
Okay – that’s all well and good about the calcium comments. But what about the fact that you get ALL 9 essential amino acids from milk, and the fats you get in milk are GOOD for you. Yeah. You can probably get them elsewhere, too, since I know someone is going to through that at me.
Granted, I’m with you on pasteurized dairy products. It really truly has no use for us then because it CAN cause the amino acids to break down, as well as kills all the yummy bacteria (probiotics). On our family ranch, I milk “Peaches” (a Jersey cow) twice a day and am able to enjoy fresh raw milk anytime.
But I’m definitely with the person who posted that anything in excess causes problems, and so will milk.
As far as us drinking milk from another species…..Do you eat pork? How about eggs? How about chicken? All of these things we could techinically say that eggs are the enemy too – they are supposed to be the reproductive vessel for an embryo.
Off my soapbox….
*All of these we could technically say are not meant for us to eat. We could say eggs are the enemy…
Now you’re getting it. Anything with a face on it, is pretty much bad. Who cares though, right? Let’s do what we want! …that is until we are 50 years old screaming for help as our excretions drizzle from our anus.
Osteoporosis is a multifactorial disorder in which nutrition plays a role but does not account for the totality of the problem. 139 papers published since 1975 and describing studies of the relationship of calcium intake and bone health are briefly analyzed. Of 52 investigator-controlled calcium intervention studies, all but two showed better bone balance at high intakes, or greater bone gain during growth, or reduced bone loss in the elderly, or reduced fracture risk. This evidence firmly establishes that high calcium intakes promote bone health. Additionally, three-fourths of 86 observational studies were also positive, indicating that the causal link established in investigator-controlled trials can be found in free-living subjects as well. The principal reason for failure to find an association in observational studies is the weakness of the methods available for estimating long-term calcium intake. While most of the investigator-controlled studies used calcium supplements, six used dairy sources of calcium; all were positive. Most of the observational studies were based on dairy calcium also, since at the time the studies were done, higher calcium intakes meant higher dairy intakes. All studies evaluating the issue reported substantial augmentation of the osteoprotective effect of estrogen by high calcium intakes. Discussion is provided in regard to the multifactorial complexity of osteoporotic response to interventions and to the perturbing effect in controlled trials of the bone remodeling transient, as well as about how inferences can validly be drawn from the various study types represented in this compilation.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/10759135
I have a question about milk. I have never been a big milk drinker, and I have arthritis which was so bad that I had to have a hip replacement. I came to Kenya as a missionary in 2003 and have remained here since then. The culture here is to drink tea made with FRESH cows’ milk and I have taken it in large amounts for over 9 years now. The funny thing is that my arthritis pain has been controlled by an occassional Panadol Extra and that is all! I have also taken some very hard falls and no damage at all! I know God gets the full credit for protecting me, however, do you think drinking fresh milk (boiled) from range-free cows makes the difference? I feel healthier than I ever have and stronger as well….no preservatives or chemicals in food and fresh milk! Just curious. I don’t feel worried about this milk, but I absolutely would NOT drink the milk from stores in the U.S. I am 70 years old. Thanks, Mama Jo
We produce unpastuerized, unhomogenized milk and sell it to customers. It is a very different product than what is commercially available. I suggest doing some research. Use keywords like nourishing, traditional foods, Dr. Weston Price if you want to make educated decisions about the differences.
I would love to get Mama Jo’s tea recipe. Hint. Hint.
I drank excessive amounts of milk as a kid… I ad more cavities in my teeth than anyone around. They were all rotted out, and filled, refilled, the fillings fell out… the teeth rotted more and more… I barely have any real tooth material left anymore. I got all kinds of allergies, and immune system problems… it goes on and on, polyps, asthma, chronic sinus infections that lasted for years, swelling, edema… inflammation, arthritis… Remove milk… no more rotting teeth, much less inflammation… sinuses getting better… severe polyps less hard to handle… no more new rotten teeth, allergies lessening…
Milk can be very harmful for some people… and the main point is, that it’s not what *nature intended* Just because we can doesn’t mean we should.
You can smoke your whole life and think you feel fine, but if you quit, then you get the energy and notice that you went years feeling like hell… Milk isn’t the best thing there is.
It’s for baby cows. If you want milk, hit up your mother… and when she’s out, you quit!
So if a small group of people are allergic to a food, then everyone should stop eating it. Additionaly, whey protein, one of the best availible for the body comes from milk. They are currently studying if for its anti-cancer properties. Anyone can argue what we were and weren’t ment to eat. There is no way we will ever know the answer.
Being allergic and having neg. health effects are two different things.
I understand all you did is drank milk (raw milk with no sugar or chocolate and absolutely no other sugary food and cleaned your teeth twice a day? I assume you did all an just this) and therefor the conclusion? Otherwise it is a horrible superficial assumption.
From 2004-2009, I developed 17 brain lesions, a ton of neurological deficits, and ended up diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. In 2009, I went vegan, not with any direct expectation of improving my own health (I’d been vegetarian since 1989), but because I was so ill that the thought of animal suffering made me weep. I immediately saw my MS symptoms recede, and three years down the line, I still haven’t formed a single new lesion since I quit dairy. I’ll never touch milk again.
I do find it strange that so many child bearing women these days seem to feel it is wrong and distasteful to breast feed their own babies. However, most of them are happy to consume milk from cows, which of course is intended for calves. The calves then being denied the very food that nature intended for them, as are the babies!! ??? Very strange…
Great comment!
This article is heavily biased and uses fallacious arguments.
In the introduction, the article tries to convince readers that the practice of drinking milk is as wrong as outdated medical practices without further mention of possible actual ties between the two, which shows a clear intent to mislead readers.
Then a number of studies are mentioned, with quotations that cannot justify the arguments the article makes – they only nullify the arguments it opposes, which is a big difference.
The chemistry terminology used in the article is deceptive: technically there ARE many amino acids in protein, but the article uses this fact to support the argument that milk is “acidifying.”
There are multiple advertisements for a book and links to online merchants for certain products, which strongly suggests that the article was not written to objectively present findings on a research topic.
The same conclusions were drawn from one of the largest studies of diet ever conducted. The book is called “The China study”. They ended up making a movie out of the book called Forks and Knives. I suggest you check it out, it provides some corroborating evidence.
Here’s something to think about. Would you, as a fully grown man, drink the milk from some random lactating human woman? No? Then why are you so quick to drink the lactation/mothers milk from a COW? Mayyyybe, just mayyybe you, me, and loads of others have been brainwashed over generations to think that cow milk is the end all be all of health foods, when in fact it is ironically the opposite. Try to keep your mind open on this.
Also, I hear you that the facts on this are difficult to prove once and for all, as many intelligent people have different and valid arguments. I would suggest trying to think of it this way- The science is shoddy for both sides because we are only human and can never really know how certain things affect our health. However, there are a lot of good indications, studies, etc. that point to the idea that cow milk and animal protein is not terribly good for our health(ranging from mild to severe based on our genetics, of which we don’t really know). Since in our day and age there are tons of other foods, milk substitutes, etc that seem to be much less controversially better for our health, why wouldnt we flock to these foods? Lots and lots of veggies, fruits, less sugar, less oil, no processed foods, fresh foods etc.? Cant we just start taking pride in what we put in our bodies? Body = temple. Dont let others trick you into ingesting mothers milk from other species. Its weird when you think about it. Unless you are starving to death, and ol’ betsy was the only gal around. Then feel free to squeeze her tits until milk comes out, then subsequently drink that milk. Your call.
To go on your level about drinking milk from a cow:
See people also go to doctors who cut them up, cut stuff out and put artificial stuff in, drive cars, have electricity, have internet,… animals don’t do this this, your conclusion would be that if animals do not do it then it is not natural and we should not do it!?. ..really? We should not drink milk because animals don’t drink cows milk? And EVEN that is wrong! Adult animals do drink cow milk, it is just very hard for them to get near a cow and drink it “in nature”.
I’ve never heard of anyone curing a disease from drinking milk or halting the spread of cancer from increasing dairy consumption. Have you? I have, however, heard countless stories of people’s declining conditions improve after ending dairy consumption. I like to take a more objective approach when I make decisions regarding my health. I usually weigh both sides of a situation and decide based on which one I think is the most logical choice. So in regards to dairy, I’ll take my chances and avoid it all together. Is there anything in dairy that I can’t get from a plant-based food? No, there is not. So why even take that chance? I don’t eat a particular food simply because everyone else does or because “it tastes so good”. I eat food to nourish my body and protect it from disease. Anyone out there have any stories of their health improving dramatically after increasing animal-based food consumption? (I’m waiting…)
Lets leave the animals alone and leave the milk to the young of the mother who produced it.
I hope people do their own research, I know at 62 I have. One quart of “raw milk” a day a lot of vegetables and fish a little hormone free meat..In perfect health..I hate to think the shape I’d be in had I followed articles like this…
Before there are any more comments about ol’sally drinking milk her whole life and not sufferring fractures or low bone density levels.
People need to understand that that is only empirical evidence it has no bearing on what is the truth and actual fact. Just because your old gramps has been drinking milk forever and is feeling okay doesnt mean anything. You cannot base the experience of one or two, or even a dozen people on what is the reality. That being said it is obviously clear based on many peoples experiences that ther are MANY factors in bone health. So dont think because you may or may not drink milk thaat your bone health will be amazing.
I also think this study is very silly in trying to relate the consumption of milk because it has calcium in it to weakening your bone health. Yes milk has a different pH then water, yes it has calcium, yes it invovled in a buffer system in your body. So is almost everything you consume. And it is not only what you consume that effects your health. Every human is different and contains different DNA. The consumption of milk is not the only factor in the health of your bones.
I am not disagreeing or agreeing with this doctor and her article which I am sure she has researched in depth, because I believe this topic is very futile for humans have been drinking cows milk for ages with no real effect.
Just thoguht it was important for people to come to some realizations before not only reading this study but the dozens that appear everyday and to not blindly accept information or to remain completely close-minded.
And one more thing. Religion has no relevance in a study between a possible correlation between bone health and milk. Seriously.
OK, so we’ve spent thousands of years drinking milk and we see what we have today. Now let’s stop drinking it and see what happens. Sounds like a good experiment to me 🙂
There is zero common sense in drinking milk beyond the infant stage from our own species, why in the world would we think it common sense to drink it from another species? It’s because we were sold on it by the industry trying to make a buck. Milk seems harmless enough so why not invent a bunch of lies to sell more of it right? Then once the lies are drilled into everyone the people themselves will fight for those lies.
There is no point in drinking milk, and it clearly does cause some issues for our health, and many side issues in animal cruelty and earth problems because of the way we have to breed so many cows.
“You cannot base the experience of one or two, or even a dozen people on what is the reality.”
The China Study was not based on a dozen people. It was based on 6,500 people over the course of 20 years in 60 different countries. Look it up.
If you really want no fractures and solid bone density as you age lift weights to build your bones
I am a teenager. I have had really bad acne for a while so as an experiment I took out dairy from my diet. After a while my skin cleared up and when I tried to go back to having dairy, I couldn’t digest it any more. I have a strong feeling that somehow dairy products and acne is related.
I had the exact same experience with this. I haven’t had milk in years, and now when I think about drinking it, I get totally grossed out. This coming from someone who had about 2 bowls of cereal in milk a day for about 15 years of my childhood.
You should also consider getting all the starches out of your diet. That helps a great deal to reduce acne.
I took dairy out of my child’s diet with no results on her acne, it was the sugar and flour that broke her out.
Gee…I’m always surprised about stuff I thought I knew, isn’t so. should I take this information all away to the bank?
You guys are pricks.
I cannot drink almond or rice milk because the palmitate causes my face to break out with pimples! and I am 58 years old.
You can get younger at least
Why? youth is too idolized!
A grandson has a genetic bone weakness wherein the slightest impact fractures bones.
Can genetic conditions be resolved with your program?
I read an article produced by the Mayo Clinic years ago about the milk you buy from the store. They did a test on newborn calves. These calves were taken from their mothers and fed nothing but the milk from the store. The proof is in the pudding. These calves dies in three weeks. This tells me that nothing good is in this milk and those so called nutrients that they say are in the milk are added chemicals. Another nail in your coffin. I quit drinking milk over fifty years ago. I will be 72 this year, am on no meds and have never broken a bone. So you see, I have done veru well without milk. Eat lots of veggies RAW and fruit and you will do okay. I might add, I am rarely sick. I don’t take flu shots either and I don’t wear socks in my boots in the Winter and we get good winters her in Canada.
I do agree with eating the fresh RAW veggies and fruit which is the mainstay of my diet in Kenya. No GMO’s used in growing the foods I eat and milk and eggs come from the free-range animals. I thought old people couldn’t lose weight, but by just changing my diet to the fresh foods and natural things I have lost over 50 lbs and it wasn’t to lose weight, but just to feel better and I DO! I don’t know about the FRESH milk one way or the other, but the tea here is delicious and I used Stevia that a friend sends to me. But, I agree, in the U.S. or any place where milk is processed I would not drink it! Here any meat comes from free-range animals and it tastes good, though a bit tougher! Egg yolks are deep yellow!! At 70 I can’t complain even with the hardships of living in a third world country. I agree with you. Mama Jo
I forgot to mention that I don’t take flu shots either and I haven’t even had malaria after 9 years of living here! A nurse from the U.S. told me she had always taken flu shots and had never had flu. I told her I have never taken them and I have never had the flu!! Also, those who use the microwave need to check out the way it actually destroys the food you eat! Scary!!
I also do not believe in flu job.I have never have flu in my life, or colds or coughs.I am 71 years old now.but I have ache knee some times. I watch what I eat I never eat pork, once a year beef, but I like lamb ,but onel very seldom because it is too fatty, I ate fish, some times chicken, once a month, some times vegs. I ate egg every day 2 eggs but fruits every day. all kinds of fruits especially the exotic fruits. I drink native chocolate, no sugar.I also drink Goats milk. I think I have done the right ting in my life.
Even the statistical arguments are completely flawed and contradict each other in this argument. I just recently took a statistics class. This article argues that there is a very weak correlation between calcium consumption and bone health. This article also claims that countries that consume the most calcium have the most bone fractures, implying that more calcium consumption means worse bone health. But this implies that there is a correlation, a strong one at that. So which is it? Strong or weak correlation?
Arguing the scientific evidence is just as well, but studies are flawed. All of them. It takes a lot of time and a lot of replications to really determine something like “milk is bad for you,” just as it took a long time for studies to show cigarettes are bad for you. I don’t know if milk is good, bad, or neutral for human health. The truth is that none of us do. These studies are unreplicated and we need a lot more time to come up with an actual conclusion. In my own personal opinion, this article does not even provide any solid evidence, considering it contradicts itself so obviously. It can’t even keep its own arguments straight. I am waiting for more solid evidence. Maybe I will be dead by the time they figure it out. Doesn’t matter to me. I’m going to die from something or another.
It would seem to me that we should use common sense. If no other animal on the planet drinks milk after the infant stage (from their own species or otherwise) then wouldn’t it be common sense that we shouldn’t? Most people would probably think it common sense to drink milk but really it’s just tradition. Common sense and tradition aren’t the same but for the person doing the tradition they are.
It’s not easy to break this tradition, but common sense would tell us that we should.
Great comment!
It is so hard to challenge people’s beliefs when they have been doing it all their life!
Your whole argument is flawed, No other animal on the planet wear clothes, cook their food, used computers, ipods, Ipads, or build spaceships. We do because we’re not other animal we are Human Beings.
What in the world do our technological advances as a species have to do with our diet? Because we’re at a later stage in our evolution we don’t have the same health needs as our fellow mammals? I think you’re argument needs work as well.
Another excellent product to use instead of cow milk and that can be baked/cooked with (and so added sugar) is oatmilk from:
https://www.oatly.com/Our-products/
They even sell the most fatastic oat icecream :o)
(and no added sugar)
This product no added sugar i do not believe them, because I bought fruits it says no added sugar and it is very very sweet, and the product is not pure, because it is watery.They put aspartame instead, which bad for us. Like also this foods they is advertised, low fats, but it became very sweet. Reduced fat but add more sugars, it is no longer healthy, right? Consumers can’t win.
That is why very many fat people all over the world, malnutrition is the result
I’d put my money on the fact that I have the healthiest heart/bones here. Life revolves around ‘moderation’. Drinking milk is fine. Don’t be fooled. Get off the couch if you want to improve the quality of your body.
absolutely true f most science crap they told you or believe in fat gene f that back then people live better and have more energy now people live on american cheese man made lab and gmo and monsanto and campbell they never talk about that the billion dollars industry that tergiversate and brainwash morons and kids to eat man made food. god does not make mistake . if you drink or eat anything from the ground free from gmo you live desease free f science this crap they produce nothing but pills and false reasoning substituting what god made perfect that is compatible with out gene by their own tainted food. people eat garbage and everything fake they don’t cook they eat out bad hands transfer bad energy not milk and of course if you buy 1 or 2 or what ever percent milk is not good for you for it is man made milk . eat organic milk cheese . beans spinach everything free from lab and you good to go f science crap i bet they eat shit and mostof them are atheists check their beliefs im not religious but i believe in god and the initiator or the maker in everything . his manifestation in things are perfect not flaws in it so after all f science crap who tell us what to eat what to wear how to think f that brainwashed crap
I wrote an article which can be found on the internet. The title is: The Truth About Coral Calcium. In it I point out that regardless of the kind of calcium you injest, you must have all the associated food factors in order to absorb and use the calcium. They are:
1. Boron
2. Copper
3. Magnesium
4. Manganese
5. Zinc
6. Potassium
7. Phosphorus
8. Vitamin D3
Most calcium foods and food supplements do not have them.
Unusable calcium is stored in the body as a toxin which causes health problems. Also, the body cannot use the stored calcium in its body building process and your body will take calcium from the bones for more “important” needs.
The reason I do not use milk is because it fails to provide the above associated food factors resulting in the fact that much of the calcium is stored as a toxin. In addition, processed milk is a “dead” food. All of the good bacteria is killed along with the bad bacteria in the pasturizing process. Add to those problems the medications and immunizations given to the cows and the fact that most cows are fed grains which are not a part of their natural diet and you are stacking one negative on top of many negatives.
There are other souces of usable calcium. The one I use is hemp seed (it has nothing to do with the halucenogenic varity). It is a naural food that contains all the associated food factors. I get mine from hempusa.org and receive no compensation from them.
this is completely wrong statement. My calcium level was low and I started drinking milk and after three month my calcium level raised significantly…. I DONO WHY SOME POPLE WITH SOME IDEAS THAT DO NOT MAKE SENSE AT ALL. I think the person who wrote this article is probably the owner of a almond milk company and she is trying to make you drink almond milk instead of dairy milk so she can make more moneyyy hahahahah
Actually you just proved her correct. Your calcium level RAISED! Which is whats bad about
milk. TOO MUCH calcium in the body depletes the calcium from your BONES. trust me this article has very true information & she is not the only source to prove that milk is bad and should be substituted with something else.
Well my grandfather who is 85 years old has had 5 glasses of milk a day and still does and he has never broken a bone. He plays soccer on a team with 50 year olds… I dont think you must have milk to stay strong and healthy but it certainly won’t harm health.
My neighbor is 78 years old and smokes two packs of unfiltered cigarettes every day. Does the fact that he doesn’t have cancer suggest that smoking isn’t bad for you? Of course not! It simply supports the fact that there are exceptions. Comparing your grandfather’s milk consumption and age, to years of milk study is meaningless. There is no doubt that smoking is bad for you, and the studies are clear, so is milk consumption.
It certainly harms me. It causes asthma, sinus problems, thickening mucous… and allergies. People have so many problems that are directly related to dairy it’s crazy.
I would be dead if I hadn’t stopped using dairy… so it really can and does cause a host of medical issues.
The article didn’t say that milk raising your calcium level is what is bad for you. The article said that the animal protein makes your body acidic and then calcium has to be used to buffer the acid level. Hinting that more calcium is needed to buffer the acid level than is gained by drinking milk. This article is a bunch if crap. We are the only species that drinks another species milk. Well, we are also the most advanced species.
“We are the only species that drinks another species milk. ”
Umm… Bears etc eat honey and royal jelly; what exactly makes royal jelly so different from “bee milk” that the sentence leads to a meaningful conclusion about drinking another species’ milk? Nothing. There are hundreds of species that drink other species blood too.
Such garbage…. why are there references that are not actually specific enough to find the referenced document?
Because we are the most advance we are so special huh? You’re just another animal living on this planet. Because we are so advanced we can do the “wrong” things.
“Bee milk” isn’t a mothers milk to feed their offspring. It’s not the same. Blood and milk also aren’t the same in case that one person wasn’t aware 🙂
There is no point besides “you like the taste” to drink another species milk.
Google “Alkaline diet Osteoporosis” and also “Alkaline Diet Fibromyalgia” I have Fibromyalgia and changing to an 80% alkaline diet has made a huge improvement to my pain levels. Hopefully this diet will improve my bones also. I drink Coconut milk which claims to have 50% more calcium than dairy. I am allergic to dairy but still eat it occasionally, I think my main problem has been too much protein and grains in relationship to fruits and vegetables resulting in higher acid levels. There are numerous articles that state a primarily alkaline diet is beneficial for osteoporosis, it is not just Vivian’s point of view. I would not be surprised if it helps people with arthritis conditions as well. My aunt who is in her 90’s lives on a dairy farm and has been drinking at least 3-4 glasses of milk most of her life, for many years it was raw milk. She has the worse case of osteoporosis of anyone I know, enough proof for me even it I did not have dairy allergies. My Mother who is a few years younger did not consume near as much milk or dairy and her bone loss is much less than her sisters. My mother also smoked for 30 years. Interesting to note that my aunt weighs significantly more than my mother and one would suspect higher bone loss in my mother.
I was happy to find the imitation milk, preffering almond or coconut milk. I love the test, and thought that I’m doing something good for my health. One day I was reading the ingredients on my coconut organic milk, and much to my surprise I see that one of the ingredients was caragenan, a cancer producing food additive.
What are your comment about? I did stop buying any immitation milk, for all of them have this dangerous ingredient.
This is very interesting to me. I’m a 16 year old girl and Ive been drinking milk ever since I was a babe. I was a sickly baby so my mom gave me tons of milk as I grew up. I’ve excelled at volleyball, basketball, and golf due to my athleticism and bones. I believe milk helped strengthen my bones a lot. Plus milk is awesone with my cereal. I love cereal. The only real thing you’ve mentioned that actually got to me was the “not designed for humans” thing. I do find it akward that as humans we drink other species milk… I mean we harvest cows milk so abundantly… It’s just weird! We went from raw meat and berries to cOw milk and Ice cream. It blOws my mind. As humans, weve either advanced as a whole species or we’ve exceeded our limits against nature… We can only really wait for more answers.
your really dumb to say that to people
I think you mean “you’re”
girl you DUMB with a capital P. Also you pregnant
That’s your common sense kicking in about how strange it is that we drink another species milk. Don’t fight it, go with it and research for yourself. Up to this point the ONLY reason you drink milk is because your parents made you, and their parents made them, etc. It’s tradition only. A silly one at that.
This is very interesting to me. I’m a 16 year old girl and Ive been drinking milk ever since I was a babe. I was a sickly baby so my mom gave me tons of milk as I grew up. I’ve excelled at volleyball, basketball, and golf due to my athleticism and bones. I believe milk helped strengthen my bones a lot. Plus milk is awesone with my cereal. I love cereal. The only real thing you’ve mentioned that actually got to me was the “not designed for humans” thing. I do find it akward that as humans we drink other species milk… I mean we harvest cows milk so abundantly… It’s just weird! We went from raw meat and berries to cOw milk and Ice cream. It bl
you should be in the KITCHEN thats were you should be nubb:P
*where
This is very interesting to me. I’m a 16 year old girl and Ive been drinking milk ever since I was a babe. I was a sickly baby so my mom gave me tons of milk as I grew up. I’ve excelled at volleyball, basketball, and golf due to my athleticism and bones. I believe milk helped strengthen my bones a lot. Plus milk is awesone with my cereal. I love cereal. The only real thing you’ve mentioned that actually got to me was the “not designed for humans” thing. I do find it akward that as humans we drink other species milk… I mean we harvest cows milk so abundantly… It’s just weird! We went from raw meat and berries to cOw milk and
This article was very informative and elucidated a lot of points on diet. One thing that got me thinking was the fact that the article stated that when we consume milk the body reacts by taking calcium from our bones, as calcium is a very good neutraliser of acid and therefore calcium is depleted or decreased to some extent in our bones, which in turn causes weaker bones and therefore prone to fractures etc. My question is that there are many foods besides milk that cause acid levels to rise i.e. beef, lamb, chicken, protein drinks, certain pure fruit juice drinks. In that case they only way round it would be to become a vegetarian or vegan etc. A good video i would recommend to those who are interested, is a debate including a Q&A session with the audience on veg vs non veg food. Both speakers are authors of many books on the subject and one of the speakers is also a doctor. This is the first part, all the other parts are also on youtube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mHHkCbGOf3s
This is just ridiculous. I couldn’t bring myself to read more than the first few paragraphs of this.
This is nutrition 101: calcium is absorbed best in an acidic environment. Calcium can, indeed, come in basic forms that make it an effective acid neutralizer, such as calcium carbonate (the active ingredient in tums), however there are not significant levels of these forms of calcium in milk. This is why (smart) people don’t reach for the tums when they want a calcium supplement: the basic calcium carbonate they are composed of will do nothing for nutritional concerns. This is why people don’t start quaffing milk when they experience heartburn or dyspepsia, really this is painfully obvious. This is also why milk isn’t some terrifying poison, as you’ve portrayed it to be, Vivian.
Remember folks: calcium’s acidic and basic tendencies depend entirely on the form you get it in. The calcium forms in milk are not particularly basic, and won’t throw any alignment off in your body. Also remember that calcium needs an acidic environment to be absorbed, and unless it is basic enough to significantly neutralize your stomach acid (like tums), it will be absorbed just fine.
Now I’m not here to put milk up on a pedestal. I don’t particularly care for the stuff, but it really is quite harmless, although not much of a health food. The whole premise of Vivian’s argument is silly. To say that human’s weren’t “meant” to consume something is quite arrogant. All of the things that exist in nature- from animal products to fruits and grains- that have found a way into our diets have done so through trial and error. Health benefit arguments aside, they can’t really be called “bad” foods if we’ve been consuming them for hundreds or even thousands of years without problems. Who is anyone to say that there are things not designed for human consumption? The beauty of humanity is that we are spoiled- we can eat what we like. We have minds, and can make choices. Even if we abuse that power of choice and eat poison, we will adapt to it before it kills us all. Is milk one of those poisons? I say no.
One who says that cow’s milk isn’t designed for human consumption can, with that same logic, just as easily say that everything we’ve ever eaten is poison, and I don’t like that logic.
“they can’t really be called “bad” foods if we’ve been consuming them for hundreds or even thousands of years”, going by your logic Dan, you must believe that slavery isn’t “bad” either. For hundreds or even thousands of years people owned slaves, but we have evolved (well, some of us have)to see slavery for what it is, an atrocious stain on history.
But the slavery continues, with animals. They are imprisoned, abused and murdered just to fufill the insatiable appetite of the “spoiled” humans.
“To say that human’s weren’t “meant” to consume something is quite arrogant”, no, thinking that you have the right to steal from animals is arrogant!
I think with anything in this day and age there is so much garbage being introduced to our products. Milk , eggs, bread, and our meats have extra hormones because the feed does. We don’t need to have more hormones. Animals are being fed hormones and antibiotics Therefore we are getting extra hormones and antibiotics especially if we eat these products. The milk is not what it used to be. And there fore it is not doing what it should do.
If we weren’t meant to eat other animals, then why did evolution give is canine teeth and forward-facing eyes? Those are strictly predatorial features.
Human’s “canine teeth” are “canine” in name only; they are not actual canine teeth as found in true carnivores. Also, the facing forward argument is invalid, as there are many species whose eyes face forward who do not consume animal products like humans do. https://michaelbluejay.com/veg/natural.html
“Who is anyone to say that there are things not designed for human consumption? The beauty of humanity is that we are spoiled- we can eat what we like.”
Ever heard about a rabbit or tiger dying from heart attack..?
We can eat what we like, but sometimes it’s not wise to eat what we like. That’s why the majority of Americans are over-weight. Also, in the beginning of creation, God told Adam and Eve not to eat something. We do have the ability to eat everything, toxic or not. Ever heard of cows drinking human milk? Cows milk isn’t always bad for humans, but an overdose of it is, and the pasteurization makes it not healthy.
My sister’s rabbit died of a heart attack. Just saying. It also smoked 2 packs a day.
Seriously, though, nothing is bad for you in moderation (except heroin or rat poison or something). I love milk. I also love booze, steak, and German chocolate cake. I just don’t go crazy with them. I even have a cigarette once in a while!
On the other hand, if you ate 50 carrots a day, you’d turn orange. Too much broccoli causes kidney stones. Too many bananas causes heart damage. Too much of anything will kill you. Just use moderation and don’t listen to silly fearmongers.
I agree that calcium is absorbed in an acidic enviroment. This is what i study! Holsten cows, (Where most of our milk comes from) produce to much milk for a baby calf. A baby Calf would get scowers if it drank all the milk produced. A cow would get mastitis if it wasn’t all the way milked out. They were made to be able to produce ample amounts of milk. holstein cows look somewhat skinny but this is becuase they are made to put all their energy into making milk. Our bodys love milk. While it is true that some people avoid milk becasue it can supposedly cause anemia. The only reason this would happen is becuase the body doesn’t digest iron and calcium at the same time and so often times our body will choose to digest the calcium rather than iron. Milk is good for the body given to us by God.
No it isn’t… and also cows made EXACTLY enough milk for a BABY COW. We bread them to produce too much milk over lots and lots of years, and with growth hormones…
God gave us water. Milk makes me sick with immune system problems… serious ones.
Dan, you said that calcium is best absorbed in an acidic environment. Could you give me your sources for that statement? Also, if that is so, after calcium is absorbed, it must be extracted to neutralize the acid then. That would still not do anything for the body.
Finally Someone who makes some sense. I study osteoporosis and this is the most ridiculous thing i’ve heard.
More calcium absorbed = more calcium stored. It’s simple. There is buffering yes, but the basic 1 + 1 = 2 equation still applies.
The references in the article are completely shoddy. Who references a “case study” as compelling evidence. Vivian go grow a brain and don’t feed this awful information to people who are gullible enough to believe you. They will be the ones to suffer for it when they have osteoporosis and start breaking hips, and I sure hope you feel damn guilty about that!!!
Wow. That’s almost as silly as saying all calories are equal, so all you have to do to lose weight is expend more calories than you eat. A calorie from protein is vastly different than a calorie from protein.
Calcium, when derived from milk, will cause vastly different reactions in your body than calcium derived from plant sources.
Then why don’t we start drinking goat piss? I mean really… We aren’t *meant* to do that… there aren’t any benefits.
People used to feed babies cow’s milk and half a cup of white sugar… it was the new thing to do in the 1950’s… wouldn’t you say that’s wrong?
Just because we do it, doesn’t mean it’s good, right, useful or necessary.
We get asthma, allergies, stomach problems and chronic sinus infections from milk.. so isn’t that a sign that it’s not the greatest for us?
With milk I am sick constantly, without it, I’m ok.
Also, Do you think if we fed calves with human milk they would grow up to optimum health? No. Same as feeding our young kids cows milk or milk based formulas. Its not optimum even though it may not be noticeable right then and there.
Saying one person down the street has drank milk all their life and is old and grey and still playing sport, he must have good genes. Just like one person smoking and dying of cancer and his mate isn’t. Generally its unhealthy and will cause death but some people are lucky