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
This article is not true. I have heard some say milk is not for humans or adults. I don’t believe it as science and research has proved different. 1. Moderation, 2. I make and love Kefir, 3. In order to process the D and calcium you need the whole spectrum of nutuients, K2, boron, good oils or fats…so milk especially raw or High Temperature, Short Time processed milk, kefir and yogurt is actually, good for you provided moderation and getting all the nutrients needed.
Google “dairy consumption bone fractures” to easily find scientific articles concluding that dairy consumption actually shortens life spans and increases risk of bone fractures. The studies go way back; it’s not new info….
This is a sad shame to post ignorance and lies like this…. please people know your sources. You can find any unfounded dietary opinions you want to look for online in this age of misinformation. Get an education and stop trying to lie to people to convince them to follow your health fads. There is no evidence to support any of these lies. Just read this abstract from real scientists… actually educated folks
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22081694
Thank you for the informative link and for being one of the few sane people in this forum
Yes, it’s great to see someone source a claim! Thanks Seth. I read the abstract and I am questioning its claim. Based on what I am reading, the author isn’t producing his/her own results and relying on other works to produce his conclusion. It is more accurate to say that thus far, it has not yet proven milk is bad or good for you, just that it is inconclusive based on what is out there so far. There are correlations, but as we all should know that correlations are not necessarily the causation.
The only milk you should consume is breast milk (until you are 2/3 years old).
Best calcium source is from dark leafy greens. If the milk is not from a human, it is not designed for you!
Good god if you dont like dont drink it!
We should not drink milk from species other than human; we should not eat meat of any animals but of human; we should not eat plants as we are not rabbits; we should not live on this planet as we are the major pollutant …
I’d better kill myself …
You’re just a stupid vegan.
Grow up and smell the roses.
I really wanted to use this for a paper im writing and I was so disappointed to see there is no work cited at all to back up where this information was found.
I am the biggest yogurt and milk consumer !!!
I cant eat any meal without adding yogurt to it:(
Makes me feel bad knowing that information after 25 years of a very high consumption of it!
How about goats milk?
Hi Yusra,
You must have missed the part where Vivian said “But first, I’d like to clarify that unsweetened fermented or cultured dairy products such as yogurt, kefir, and sour cream are acid neutral.” So you should be ok!
References please?
this fuckin sucks!!!!!!
Vivian, thank you for pointing out something I already had learned. I am glad to be following someone whose ideas are in line with my own. Thanks for speaking the truth about dairy.
Everything in moderation. Goats’ milk is probably preferable. I’ve given up cows’ milk because it contains so much fat, and the skimmed variety is so thin it might as well be water. Porridge with water becomes as palatable as it was with milk after a few days.
This is totally false. Milk is favorite drink and always has been, and I drink about 3-4 cups of it a day and I’ve never broken a bone in my whole life at age 19, I played football, baseball, and basketball and I mostly played football until my Sophomore year in high school and still never broke a bone. Milk strengthens your bones with it’s great nutrition. Vitamin D helps your skin stay healthy and that’s what is in whole milk, I drink whole milk. All this is bullshit, and this will never take milk away from me.
wait until you turn 50 and you find out you have osteo…… I used to be a big milk drinker in my early years and into my 20s and 30s……. big time osteo later on….
I’m 56 and I drink multiple glasses daily (cow’s milk not human milk), eat a lot of cheese, yoghurt, steak, …
So does my 92 yr old father and 85 yr old mother.
It’s kind of funny to see so many having a funny way of reasoning…
True u tell em same here I have never broken any bones been drinking it since birth I’m 45 ,healthy ,never get sick ,milk does a body great
Article has a HUGE flaw!
It says that once the calcium is pulled out of the bones, it is flushed out through urine
The truth is that a great deal of the calcium from bones randomly heads for soft tissues and even arteries.
That is true especially for those people that are NOT consuming the appropriate and specific balance of vitamin K2, magnesium, and D3 need for your particular body.
PS
Article has more than one huge flaw.
I guess we should all live in caves and eat roots, nuts and berries so we can live 5 years longer.
Ms. Goldschmidt, can you please give some direct references to scientific reports/studies that support your claim. I took a look at some of the things you site in your article, however these are taken out of context and are not about the nutritional value of milk. I have been hearing claims from fitness trainers and others about the myth of milks nutritional values apparently based on your claims. I have been searching through the scientific journals for data on the subject. In support of your claims I have found a grand total of 0 (zero) articles that support your claim. If you know of a scientific study performed by scientific researchers that supports your claim, I would like to read it.
^This, please give some references because right now you “milk myth” looks like a myth.
“Case-Control Study of Risk Factors for Hip Fractures in the Elderly”. American Journal of Epidemiology. Vol. 139, No. 5, 1994 “Monsanto’s Hormonal Milk Poses Serious Risks of Breast Cancer, Besides Other Cancers” (https://www.preventcancer.com/press/releases/july8_98.htm, June 21, 1998 Did you really just so happen to miss these sources?
Study was cited from 1998…….
Oh wow.. how credible!
A research site from the 90s!
This article says, ”Cow’s milk is custom-designed for calves”, so we stop drinking cow’s milk.
But, I also notice, the mesocarp (the fleshy part of fruits) is designed for the nutrition of seeds. And after the seed grows into a plant, it diverts to other sources of nutrition.
So, should we consider not eating fruits too?
That is wrong, flesh part is mainly for the distribution of seeds by animals birds etc
Thank you for the correction. Please allow me to rephrase :
”During its early stages of growth, the seedling relies upon the food supplies stored with it in the seed until it is large enough for its own leaves to begin making food through photosynthesis.” (www.mbgnet.net/bioplants/grow.html)
So, does it follow that seeds are not custom-made for our consumption/nutrition, that we shouldn’t have them as part of a balanced diet?
Cows milk is for calves. That’s it really. Common sense.
What an intelligent thought!
Do you know there to be ANY nutrition differences between a young boring and a human? Or are you making an assumption based on a bunch of lies?
Sian, I can tell you’re just an idiotic vegan.
Humans have been using animals as food for a long time, why stop now? People are getting diseases because of processed food, not because of specifically cow’s milk.
Neel,
You’re funny, I like your response / question / challenge, whatever…
Wrong! Roots or plants are for the consumption by the baby roots and plants, not designed for; hence, unsuitable for human consumption!
I always used to read various articles what is good for you and what isn’t. However I already over the phase when I believed in every rubbish what I read. Now I rather believe in my logic and experience. Of course there are people who can’t drink cow milk because of intolerance. But there is a goat milk, what might be much better for these folks. About the osteoporosis : More than decade ago my mum as a 68 y old woman decided to avoid any dairy products. Two years later she developed so severe osteoporosis, she couldn’t stand straight. Three of her vertebraes collapsed. This happened despite her taking calcium tablets. When she broke her femur, three months later we buried her. She never was big milk drinker but the big change to worse came after when she completely eradicated dairy from her diet. So your theory doesn’t fit on her.
IAM 73 YEARS OLD. IHAVE FAMILY OF DOCTORS. I BELIEIVE WAHT YOU HAVEYOURS TRULY RESEARCHED FOR SAVE OUR BONES PROGRAM . IAM CURRENTLY TAKING OSTEOPOROSIS MEDICINE( FOSOMAX) IWANT6 TO STOP IT. MYDAUGTHER DON’T WANT5 TO READ YOUR EMAIL TO ME. I FOUND OUT T AT THAT I HAVE A COPY OF YOUR SAVE OUR BONES PROGRAM.AND THE MENU CALENDAR. CAN I BUY THOSE THAT IDON’T HAVE?
YOURS TRULY,
ERLINDA
You can’t trust doctors. They are not trained in diet nor nutrition. They are taught to fix symptoms, not roots of the problem that causes the symptoms. I mean imagine if this gets out.. The agribusiness, pharmacies, and GMO makers would go broke. It’s all about profit and quantity, not about quality and health.
All you have to do is search for “Natural Ph buffers in humans” to quickly discover that bicarbonate and phosphate are the Ph neutralizing buffers within the human body… NOT calcium.
Its also important to note that the blood Ph is extremely fragile, and with extremely severe consequence if it is to change (namely death). The human body does not gamble in this way. The bloods Ph is not neutralized once off balance. This inherently implies the blood was allowed to be skewed off balance in the first place. Our body, such as our kidneys neutralize our internal Ph BEFORE it affects our blood PH. This is why urine Ph changes, symbolizing functioning kidneys. The link here
(https://chriskresser.com/does-dairy-cause-osteoporosis/)
covers debunking the osteoporosis caused by milk myth with properly substantiated and sourced scientific studies which this article significantly lacks. It has a clever logic stream which why it seems convincing however it simply is not true,
Milk isn’t massively healthy and is mucus forming etc. However it might not even be acid forming and certainly doesn’t leach calcium from the bones. Even exercise causes the build up of (lactic) acid in our bodies. Do you really think it would be an advantageous evolutionary response to sap our bone strength to combat this?
I’m glad i researched further before being mislead by this internet propaganda as it is a very convincing argument at first glance. However definitely not true.
I wish there were more ppl educated about the effects of milk. I stopped drinking it around 21 my body no longer accepted it so I listened and now I know why.
So I know that its not the best drink for you and that it depletes your calcium, increase fracture risk and many other ‘bad things’, but I’m guessing that one of you mentioned the fact that Humans are the only species that mass drinks another animals milk, and its true, But we are also the only species to consume alcohol, drugs, and medicine. All other species on earth can live perfectly fine without the help of another and without machines, so why do we? Why do we find it more important to use the earth’s natural resources and destroy them to make things that we hardly use. We kill millions of animals each day to suit our needs, and how many humans die form animals? So please just go and think, become a vegetarian and just stop hurting animals, please
Btw feel free to roast me
You ask why???
Well, the human analog of most animals’ lives would be, on average, living to be about 27 and being eaten by something or an even earlier death from a horrible accident. Is that the world you want to live in?
On a side note: I find it ironic that your Luddite tendencies have led you to an Internet forum to express your opinions. Do you see the disconnect there???
Animals consume fermented fruits (alcohol) medicines ( herbs, tree bark etc) and mind altering drugs.
Mind altering drugs from hallucogenic plants
I have been told that magnesium is necessary for the proper absorption of calcium, a diet rich in magnesium, along with drinking milk would be a healthy diet adjustment, would it not ?
Magnesium is needed for calsium absorption. However, 90% of Americans are magnesium deficient. One of the major warning signs of deficiency is leg cramps and restless leg syndrome. Do the doctors treat these with magnesium? Of course not!! Magnesium is a natural substance and therefore—it cannot be patented. Doctors only treat “dis-ease” with patented synthetic substances (that are owned by Big Pharma) and those modified substances cause other diseases in need of being “treated.” The bottom line is….that natural substances have the potential to heal sickness whereas synthetic substances have the potential to exploit sickness. This is what this article is attempting to have us do!! Skip the natural substances so they can hook you into taking their patented Big Pharma drugs for a life of sicknesses!! No thank you!!
BRAVO BRAVO STANDING OVATION!
It’s good to know that some people can still think for themselves! Thank you for sharing!
Google 300 lb vegan. We do not need to consume animals.
better off to become adept at listening to your body and go with what your body tells you than to listen to any doctor. everyone’s body is different. what works for you may not work for someone else.
last week they were telling us eggs were bad for you. this week they tell us eggs are good for you. and next week, you guessed it, they will be telling us again how eggs are bad for you.
I’ve never seen worse flip flopping in my life. It’s like they do it just to stay relevant, but don’t realize that they are throwing their credibility out the window.
doctor smoctor.
The big agribusiness pays to have false info let out so you believe their lies. It’s all about money.
what a bunch of non-sense. protein is extremely beneficial. many neurotransmitters are synthesized from amino acids. this “doctor” needs to go back to school.
Every plant on the planet has protein especially Millet.
Terrific article, but please learn the difference between “insure” and “ensure”. Very common mistake.
All food is bad for you when you think about it. Most foods we eat are acidic and you know what that means? Our teeth aren’t has strong has they once were. Most of the studies show when we drink to much milk it’s bad but milk is not bad in general
https://www.m.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/news/20141029/is-milk-your-friend-or-foe
https://milk.procon.org/view.timeline.php?timelineID=000018
Drinking cows milk is nothing new
Here are both sides of the argument for and against milk. Milk is not bad for you. On fact humans been drinking milk for a long time it’s not a recent thing at all
https://www.m.webmd.com/diet/features/dairy-truths
I mean ancient times people drank milk so why is it bad now? You can’t over do it
As they said. It is bad now, because of all the changes they do to it over the last 100 years. It doesn’t get bottled straight out the cow anymore.
It’s bad because of the GMO’s, pesticides, growth hormones, and unnecessary antibiotics.
This is interesting. Should I give up cheese, yougurt, butter and ice cream too?
Hell yes.
Shut up, vegan.
I researched milk for a reason which I can only guess is why the rest of you did.
I noticed when I drink milk (usually 1 or 2%) I get tired compared to water, gatorade etc.
Milk does not give you energy, it drains it.
If milj is so good for you wouldn’t it make more sense to milk women than cows so we get the natural benefits nature provides exclusively for humans or mayby milking monkeys would be closer than cows. Why cows? I don’t eat like a cow, why do I drink from a cow? Simply because I was raised to do so. Man was once raised to believe the world was flat.
Because cows have four teats and usually only one offspring at a time. It’s like they were designed for us to use.
This is the biggest lie I’ve ever read…I’ve been drinking milk my whole life and not one broken bone….and I live a very adventurous life…
Wake up Chris. You aren’t a baby cow- you have no use for cows milk.
Gaining muscle mass is a reason.
How is it that BILLIONS of people can tolerate something bad for so long?
Well it’s simply FALSE! I’miss a meat eating, milk drinking timber faller. I’ve almost been killed several times. LISTEN TO ME WHEN I’M TELLING YOU THIS; I’ve broken a toe and a finger, and separated both shoulders. I’ve been battered around enough in 28 years to know that cows milk didn’t hurt me. It helped me. I’ve worked with men who are DEAD now from getting slammed by widowmakers & spring poles. I’ve felt both. I had a sprung tree catch the left side of my head and KNOCKED MY ASS FIFTEEN FEET INTO THE AIR, no injurys… my boss saw it happen and was sure that aims was dead. I’ve had 2 widowmakers torpedo my head with enough force to drive & split aluminium all the way to my skull. My meat eating, milk drinking family elders are all living into their 90s. There IS such a thing as getting tough…
This has nothing to do with trees. Grow a real backbone and watch Cowspiricy, GMO OMG, The best speech ever by Gary Yourovsky. Get educated sir. You are wrong.
Raw milk is what our ancestors drank and it does all that this gentleman timberman says it does. The current state of the rubbish milk that you get in the store has nothing to do with weather it is building or not. The truth is that only pastuerized milk is destructive to the body. Give almond milk to a baby and it will give it low bone mass, prevent it from growing well and eventually kill it, so why is it so healthy for our young children!!??
Moron.
Since when can’t we use animals for food?
Not everyone is a bloody vegan, kid.
The world needs weening.
References please
Reference on why Excessive Calcium Causes Osteoporosis
Please refer to this website:
https://www.4.waisays.com/ExcessiveCalcium.htm
Milk has some pharmaceutical benefits especially in homeopathic systems. Sugar of milk, the chief vehicle used in homeopathy is extracted from whey. Phosphorus in it is negligible.
The news that dairy is not good for humans is over 100 years old. Cows don’t drink it after their calves are weaned. Add to that that the milk producing cow stays in a state of pregnancy while on hormones and antibiotics makes this article even more relevant to our time. Dairy is a huge industry ( and like tobacco ) has gone to great lengths to deceive the public, My children have asthma and the doctor advised me against milk when they were small. That is 35 years ago! Thank you for spreading the news!
Lets be clear. Human milk is meant for humans. Cows milk is meant for cows. It is literally NOT meant for us to be drinking, its not natural. Thats all there is to say about it.
All that I can say about that is….. moooooo!
You’re a moron.
Where are the references to these studies which are mentioned, which supposedly support these claims. I would like to verify what this person is saying. Without them this is utter and complete speculation and bro science. EXAMPLE: A study has shown milk will give you super powers and eventually allow you to fly, there I can do that also.
ADDITION 2002 American Society for Clinical Nutrition (https://ajcn.nutrition.org/content/76/3/675.short, 2002) States “Children who avoid drinking cow milk have low dietary calcium intakes and poor bone health1,2,3”. Tada for every study there will be a reverse study to say flat out that it milk is debunked is an outrageous statement. Correlation is not causation.
HAHAH I don’t trust the AMA, FDA or big pharma.. Who led these studies? Who funded them- wouldn’t have been milk manufacturers would it? What was the overall health of these children? Poor nutrition leads to poor health.. That study is BS.
Bottom line, cow milk is for calves.
But if I drink two cups of milk ( 400ml) one in the morning and another in the evening! Is it bad for my health or bones? I really want to know
It isn’t bad for your bones. She sites no articles, she has no scientific references for this, and she has a masters of art, so no background in science. The sad thing about the internet is anyone can post anything they want, even if they have no credentials to do so. I have a degree in research in nutrition. Milk is not bad for you.
I agree , milk is not bad?? nowadays more n more people specially young children n women r suffering from dental problems, back pain, leg pain n other bone related problems.i just wonder what could b the reason? Doctors keep advising to take more dairy products to get required calcium?
https://www.hsph.harvard.edu/nutritionsource/what-should-you-eat/calcium-and-milk/
GMO’s, pesticides, growth hormones, and unnecessary antibiotics.
Milk from grain fed cows, given antibiotics, growth hormones and die at age three to four, plus their milk is high in harmful bacteria, is not stuff to drink, but stuff to reject. However, there is something called Ancient milk, A2 from Jersey and Guernsey cows is easy to digest, but most milk is from cows who should be raised for meat rather than a source of milk. Raw milk from cows raised on pasture and milked with care not to introduce bad bacteria is the way to go if milk is drunk, but never too much, maybe a cup, at most, per day, better yet, a cup every three days. Yes milk is somewhat exotic to human digestion compatibility, but it does have an opiate effect, and whether that matters or not, I don’t know. The stuff to never allow in our diet is processed food, sugar, high fructose corn syrup, agave, aspartame, and anything with a list of ingredients with words hard to pronounce let alone expect our gut to welcome and digest, it doesn’t and it can’t. People who don’t show peer review references have an opinion that may last for an hour, a day or longer, but unless they know the science and are willing to share it and submit at least an abbreviated reference, not once, but as in Nora Gedgaudas’s book, Primal Body, Primal Mind, she has 130 references. Still, that’s not enough since the book is over 350 pages long and anything we eat, do, think, lose, gain, hate, love, share, steal, etc., once submitted, will have detractors, supporters, a nit of each or none at all. Find the best and most accurate source, for instance, Dr. Russell Blaylock, MD and neurological surgeon who like several other neurological surgeons, found little satisfaction prescribing drugs that did more harm than good and went alternative as opposed to allopathic, the latter being the lowest form of medicine. We’d be better off, at least 250,000 of those killed at the hands of hospital or medical errors each year, deferring and referring to Gedgaudas or Blaylock’s of the world rather than a doctor with a pencil ready to prescribe or pick up his knife and cut out what shouldn’t be cut out, as doctors once did removing the adrenal glands, whereby the poor creature who just lost his or her adrenal glands promptly died minutes later, or maybe an hour or two. The call that “practicing” medicine, but since we have to sign a waiver in case the doctor screws up or one of the medical staff does, they are held accountable. It’s a case of “Buyer beware,” you might lose your life to one of those overworked maniacs.
This article makes sense for some but not others, however, I suggest you go with how you feel. If you feel that the evidence being presented, that cows wean and never again drink milk, makes sense, go with it. Also, human babies don’t naturally wean until–get this–an average of about 5 years old around the world, and then they don’t all continue to drink large amounts of cow’s milk. In first world countries, the children are given “artificial baby milk” which is milk from cows mixed with fructose corn syrup and many not so wonderful ingredients. However, most people don’t think that they had this when they were babies either, and then continue their lives eating a lot of dairy. Some will be ok, and some will have some issues. The question is, what do you think? It really doesn’t matter what the masses say, only what you believe is right for you.
Experiment on yourself and go without animal products for two weeks.. You will notice a positive difference.
Interesting article, as I read it in bed with my right leg up healing a fractured ankle 😉
I am no fan of milk, especially the pasteurized, Monsanto-treated one, but I wonder – if the problem you mention with the loss of Calcium is not solved by simple urinotherapy.
Drinking your own urine, if one observes a diet free of meat, alcohol, tobacco, medication, is a highly beneficial thing – helping to maintain state of health and help curing numerous maladies. In case of milk it seems to me it would prevent the loss of Calcium, because you would simply absorb it again.
A solution worth considering, since one could instead of rejecting something outright, just solve the problem and keep the good stuff 🙂
Yeah! How about eating your own shit? Just get the good stuff out of it! Plus, you will save $$
Hahahahahahahahahahahahahaha
“once calves are weaned, they never drink milk again. And the same applies to every mammalian species on this planet”
just gave milk to my 12 yo dog and 7yo cats. they drank it. now i’m questioning if they are normal or not. better grab that shotgun
You totally missed the point. Mammals do not drink from their mother once they are weaned. Of course your pets will drink the cow’s milk from the store, just as humans do, but they, nor we, benefit from it…..
“just gave milk to my 12 yo dog and 7yo cats. they drank it.” – You really shouldn’t. Giving cats milk in large quantities could actually lead to very serious health issue. Don’t believe the old wives’ tale of a saucer of milk for kitty. Mammals begin to stop producing lactase, which processes the lactose in milk, once they stop ingesting milk. Without lactase lactose cannot be processed – think lactose intolerant.
But you gave them the milk. They wouldn’t generally go and suckle a cows teat themselves. Nor would humans.
There is so much misinformation in this article, it’s pretty mind boggling. Milk does not cause acidosis, and there have been studies about this topic also. milk pH is 6.3 to 6.8, only slightly acidic. Your body does not need to work too hard to neutralize milk as it does other beverages, all of which are more acidic except for water. This post goes through the information on this post quite well https://www.dairymoos.com/is-milk-bad-for-your-bones/
Stephen, the science cited in this article is sound. It’s a very good article. The only “misinformation” that I find to be of concern is what you have offered with your “mind boggling” inclusion of a link to the blog of a “3rd generation dairy farmer.” I question your objectivity.
I honestly feel that you are offering disinformation. I find your post to be dishonest.
The author conveniently only cited the parts that agreed with her opinion and left the rest out.
I agree, Andrea. Where are the links/references to the “numerous” and “scientific” studies that were conducted to show that the consumption of milk accelerates calcium depletion?
I totally agree. Most proponents of milk have some kind of monetary investment in it. I bet a lot of these studies are funded by large milk suppliers.
Could you imagine what would happen to the dairy industry if all of the sudden everyone would stop drinking milk? The money lost?
Everything is bad for us even the fluoride laced water. You will die accept it and live.
see the way i see this humans have been drinking milk a long time. and only in the last50 years are we unhealthy as we are. bth my grandparent living into there 90s my gran 92 and my gandfather 96 currently.
they drink milk in cooking. my gran is itiallion . so yes she has the knolage of the lifestyle from there. she lallways cooked with fresh food and even gutted her own raw fish from supermarkets.
my gran got breast cancer at 90. but she went on the theropy that shrinks it with pills. the tumour did not grow it sharnk by 2/3rds
she got osterioperosis when she was 90 and it degraded her fast. but that was her age.
I am 2 and i hve scoliosis its 45* which is pretty bad. some say its linked with poor calcuim but nowhere does that concept make sence. my spine is not brittle. its growing wrong (and btw the curve is extreamly tight only 3 of my top thoracic) i never new i had it untill 22 when i started getting backache. it was aready suvere. i find whenever i add a little more milk in my diet the pain stops. this is certinly true because i am in practically n pain. i am not recieving psyio or anything for it.
my friend is a beautitin. and he has beauitful silky skin and soft feet. he tells me. milk is great n your face it will take the oil off it and make it plump. he uses olive oil on his feet (so do the greeks btw)
Queen cleopatra used to bathe herself in milk, yes it was probabbly goats milk.so perhaps i will change over
but i really dont see any actualy evidence in humans that it is harmful. if you have cancer tho do not drink it. diry interacts with cells when there reforming and can cause them to become cancerous. but this alone will no cause cancer. you will need to do something else to set it off ( such as DNA or lifestyle)
i eat alot of veg (alot) maybe 9 a day when i feel like it
not because it is GOOD for me, but because i enjoy it i eat crap too whenever i want but thats rare. i do not eat any chocolate anymore and have dramaticlly cut my refined sugar. instead i eat dark chocolate.
the lat thing i will say
if you are unwell because you eat dairy. it is not because dairy is bad. it is because of thhe lactose alergy you have
your body is sensitive to it. ask you gp about DE SENSIYZATION
i am intolerant to fish except tuna and bonito. i used to eat fish alot. i am gradully bringing it back into my diet. as i love japanese food. but never will be able to eat crab or dancing squid again… well maybe 1 day
now somepeople say your animals dont eat processed shit. this isnt true. my cat will eat a micro burger if i give her a bit. i dont do it alot i never give her dairy except maybe eggs. but she doesnt eat the anywy. cats are lactose intolerant. you can give them lactose FREE milk. or buy the wiskas milk at supermarkets.
stop being paranid if you get cancer its not because of dairy. why dont you all just get that dna test and fin out what ur likley to get
But certinly reducing your milk itake to only when nesscesery will help
people say chhese and yoghurt is bad. do you realise how amzingly good for your inside and skin yoghurt is. if people ate more organic yoghurt theyd live a hell of a lot longer. and the french have been eating blue bacteria rich cheese for hundres of years.
Fuk this study its full 0f illogical flaws
Your exclusion of random letters throughout this comment is clearly con purpose and clearly amazing. You are like the Shakespeare of the those who can’t give a fuk.
The chemical Additives are what make you think you feel better. You’re addicted like a druggy to heroin. The growth hormones, pesticides, GMO’s, and antibiotics is what your body craves. The article is factual. Watch GMO OMG or Cowspiricy
I’m now 50. UK citizen. It’s really funny, but the whole of my life, as far back as I can remember, every time I was given milk to drink or put it in drinks or on cereals etc, I got mucous forming in my mouth – not a little – A LOT. I also noticed that yoghurt didn’t give me so strong reaction, but cheese also gave me that reaction.
As a result, I naturally started to drink/ use it less and less, but still had it in other things and ate cheese. I just thought I was weird.
Then when 20, I got seriously ill, with Ulcerative Colitis, and noticed that I couldn’t digest milk and milk products at all anymore, even thought the doctors kept on saying drink milk!
Finally, I did some ‘alternative medicine’ research that said dairy was not recommended for people with my kind of disease, and I cut it out altogether.
Since then, I went on a long journey, and today my diet is practically (traditional) Chinese, and vegetarian. I also use energy medicine and despite all the doctors saying I would never recover, and I would get cancer and must have surgery, and my life expectancy would be about 10 years (to age 30), I’m fully recovered. Still, if I try and drink milk etc, I get the same reaction, lots of mucous forming. Also, I have a similar reaction to sugar, which I didn’t notice so much before, but became clearer and clearer.
Whilst other life style stuff and also controlling my emotions etc is the most important factor for me in health, diet is also very important.
I know, from my own natural body reaction, milk, sugar, and so on is plain negative. Sheep and goat milk, and kefir, I can handle, but thanks for this great article. I want to keep strong bones and a healthy body, and live to be very old!!!
I am confused by the article, but only from personal experience. My cholesterol was high as well as a few other issues. I went on a high fat and lots of milk diet. My bad cholesterol is lower than it ever has been. I feel “good”. But who knows….I don’t…one article I read something is bad for me, click another link or read another book and they say its the best thing for me…….with everyone being able to put information out there, we end up more confused than when we started. Also, each side points to “studies”. …..I’m just gonna drink my milk and gamble with it. my grandma drank milk everyday and lived to 83. Not sure if that’s great or not but……who knows. Got Milk?
Milk made me have so many health problems. Digestive issues, acne, weight gain, sluggishness, depression, anxiety and tons of mucus. I don’t need a study to tell you that. Almond milk is tastier and no negative effects unless you’re allergic to nuts.
oh yeah, i drink it a lot. im healthy, no bones broken ever, cholesterol perfect, lipids perfect, hdl (good cholesterol) amazingly high as it should be, and ldl (bad) is exceptionally low. blood pressure perfect, ekg on heart perfect, blood sugar perfect, also, i hate vegetables, i ear fast food A LOT, and fry nearly everything. so yeah, at 36 years old this is how i have eaten. so put that in your agenda and stuff it.
Hi Josh, the key words: “at 36” — I would have said the same then. Not that you will necessarily ever have problems: not all heavy smokers get cancer. People end up getting agendas when they develop serious health problems, agendas that can be helpful to others. Not saying that all health advice is right, but why not try compassion and open mindedness?
You are 36 years young!!!… Keep eating like you are and see what your body is like at 56.
Your only 36. Very young.
Are you over weight from all that junk?
I’m 36 too… Milk is poison.
Just read your article … how do you respond to this info?
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/22081694
Bob
at the end of the fake story…
SUPER link! thank you so much.
what article? Some ramblings by who know what? I don’t trust the AMA or FDA – their agenda is simple- profit at any expense.
I’d have to do a bit more research to see who funded this study….bet it’s someone tied to the milk industry.
Everybody on this planet are in some or other way eating unhealthy food,inhaling bad air,and drinking water with some chemicals in it.I agree that we do not need milk cheese or any dairy whatsoever….there is enough other foods to choose from……its up to the individual to choose. It ultimately boils down to your own constitution .Some folks smoke and get old others die of cancer etc. But I can assure you that anything you buy in a box ,packet ,or container will have some preservatives in it. Look at the ingredients next time you buy soy,almond ,rice or yoghourt or whatever ….it will have some sort of unnatural ingredients.The only way to go is natural and that itself is hardly possible in the world we live in.Humans are different to animals those very eastern nations who dont consume milk eat spiders insects snakes etc and get old. What i am trying to say is just choose a middle path and keep moderation in mind and if you are genetically blessed ….and you constitution is strong ,then you will probably die old despite drinking milk or eating rice or insects every day.Problem today is everybody wants to be right and preach their gospel to the world out there.The food,healthfood,pharmaceutical companies,medical profession etc is a money making racket today Anything touched by human hands and modified is probably bad for you.Try to eat natural if you can …
very well said. the world and the things we consume have turned synthetic.
Turned synthetic? Lol it’s called : Genetically Modified Organism directly linked to breast tumors, liver and kidney problems. Google Monsanto and watch GMO OMG
Just food for thought, not sure which side of the fence I’m on but I don’t like the taste of milk so I don’t drink it but I love cheese. The argument that we are the only animal to drink other animal’s milk is not true, there are many times ‘foster’ mothers will suckle abandoned and orphaned animals, granted not for their entire lives. Also, we are the only animals that cook our food, and even though a lot of people that believe in the raw food diet, I’m not eating steak tartar, although I do love sushi.
I just want to mention one point here. Every other mammal drinks milk only in the initial period of its life, we are the only mammal who drink milk that to another species’ milk throughout the life, doesn’t this sound crazy? Ask these basic questions. How human being is able to digest lactose in infancy and the same ability is gone once grown up? Once we start to eat whole food we should stop drinking milk, that is the design that is common sense. Drinking another species’ milk throughout one’s life is nothing but absurd. Those who are supporting drinking milk should be ready to kneel down and suck the nipples of the cow, eventually that’s what we are doing.
Yes, we are probably the only mammal to drink milk beyond the initial stages of our lives; but that is because we can do it — other mammals can’t. We are the only mammals to cook our food, too. But, again, that is because we can do it. And let’s remember that in zoos humans feed other mammals milk for all of their lives. It is our technology that allows us to do many things the other mammals can’t. It is our technology that also allows us to determine whether these “unnatural” things we do are healthy. And despite all these supposedly unnatural things we are doing, the average life expectancy of humans in industrialized societies continues to rise.
milk causes a high risk for cancer. So be cause we CAN drink it, that means we should? So then we should smoke crack and inject heroin too then, right?
Everything in too much consumption can cause cancer – even the sun. Yes. The life-sustaining, indispensable to our existence sun, will kill you if you are exposed to it for too long, and much quicker than milk. Cancer is natures way of keeping life on this planet balanced. There is no cure for cancer as if such thing were discovered we would be defying the laws of nature and trust me, we will become extinct long before that ever happens. Using the “it causes cancer” card to justify the complete 100% abstinence of anything is ill advisable to say the least. As explained, cancer is what keeps balance. If we consume one thing too much we will cause imbalance in our life and risk getting cancer. But, like a seesaw, this also works the other way. By abstaining too much from one thing you will again cause an imbalance in your life, which risks being met with cancer. Life is about balance, balance with everything, good and evil, black and white, up and down, acidic and pH balanced, natural and synthetic, bipedal mammal and quadrupedal mammal, mammal and non-mammal, etc. Oh, can’t forget the balance between information you receive that sounds legit and information you receive that feels legit. How do we know when such a balance is met? I don’t know. Communicating with your body? Consuming things and paying attention to how you feel in a completely objective space or state of mind. Sounds like a whole lifestyle thing. Hmmmmm, I am going to research this more. Sounds interesting. Anyways, cancer is not bad, just nature.
Yes the life expectancy continues to rise, because we pump the elderly full of pills, organ transplants etc. It’s not natural…take away the pills and we’d start dropping like flies.
I stopped drinking ‘pasteurized’ cow milk about 2 years ago…. and have been drinking raw goat’s milk ever since. I’m very pleased with the switch and would/will no longer ever go back to ‘pasteurized’ milk/dairy, as I believe it applies to what this article is pointing out. But I’m trying to ascertain where ‘raw’ milk fits into all of this. Raw milk is far superior, in my opinion/research, but perhaps even ‘raw’ milk products are unnecessary. ???? Anybody have an opinion on this?