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
I used to be recommended this web site by means of my cousin. I’m now not certain whether or not this put up is written by him as nobody else realize such particular about my problem. You’re amazing! Thanks!
What about cats. They also drink other animal’s milk, and they love it.
They drink other animals milk because we give it to them. Would you drink dogs milk? Rats milk? Your only ok with cow milk because it’s been drilled into your head it’s ok. It’s funny most people get sick at the idea of drinking human breast milk when your drinking the breast milk of another species! It’s not natural.
Cats are carnivores.
Agreed
Good Point!
I think man must have tried with cats, dogs, rats milk blah blah blah but obviously it isn’t enough, therefor it would make sense to milk a bigger animal now, wouldn’t it. of course elephants aren’t very friendly so i guess man made the choice to milk their cows and goats.
Cows were chosen because they are relatively gentle in temperament, and produce a lot more milk than goats, for instance. I’m sure there are a few other reasons. Cattle aren’t very bright, and they’re easy to manage. Imagine trying to milk horses – yikes!
Cat’s also are not even supposed to have cows milk. It can cause problems for them and websites recommend only giving them very small amounts. Cats do not suck the nipple of a cow, therefore it is not designed for them. Like Kelley said, that is because we give it to them.
Cats die if given cow’s milk – PASTEURIZED cow’s milk, that is. They did studies on cats many years ago – I forget the doctor’s name.
But I like milk…..cow’s milk….. Is organic any better than non-organic?
From an animal welfare standpoint, organic may be worse. From a health standpoint, organic is better but still harmful.
Modern dairy cows – organic or conventional – are bred to produce 5 times or more milk than normal, and are kept almost constantly pregnant and lactating, which causes chronic discomfort and raises the risk of painful mastitis infections. When cows at organic dairies get those infections, they may not be treated with antibiotics, since those are prohibited on organic dairies. They may be given other less effective treatments. They could also be removed from the herd and their milk sold at a lower price, but this is not usually done.
Cows on organic dairies may be allowed to live a year or two longer than cows on conventional dairies–who are killed at five years old–but that means they have even more babies stolen from them, typically when two days old or less, so the milk can all be diverted to humans. So in some ways cows on organic dairies suffer even more than cows on conventional dairies.
Organic milk does not have added hormones, but all cow’s milk has a mix of hormones that naturally occur in cows but not humans, which poses a health risk for humans since our bodies are not equipped to regulate those hormone levels. Also, as the article points out, the protein and overall nutritional profile of cow’s milk is not a good fit for humans.
New varieties of plant-based milks are coming out all the time. Give them another try. You may be pleasantly surprised, and you’ll be doing your body – and cows – a word of good.:)
Thanks for the information. I’ve been telling people for twenty years not to drink milk, but they think I’m nuts. With your article I can show some validation.
Thank You so much. Yes these studies are very true and the people on here that think it isn’t must be frightened or something. So what it’s bad for you. I have known this for years. I’m sure it’s fine in moderation just don’t force it on your children saying it’s healthy.
Me three. Nobody believes me, and they probably won’t until the evidence is irrefutable.
I figure i’ll play this as simple and balanced as possible for everyones sake.
There are roughly 3,301,112,087 women in the world
There were 77,761 women that participated in this study
That works out to be about 1 in 45502 women taken into account. Or 0.0021977055953584456% (0.002% to make things understandble)
My only question is why has a STUDY been mistaken for FACT/SCIENCE?
Furthermore that means I would only have to find 20 people in a city of 1 million, to prove my thoery as fact, ofcourse that being based of this websites ignorance.
Sure,as you say “I would only have to find 20 people in a city of 1 million, to prove my theory as fact”. Agreed. You could do that if you ignored all the people that disproved your theory, but if you honestly record all the people you surveyed and take the percentage, a small number could be representative.
its called statistical significance. 78,000 people is a massive sample compared to most other studies. While it is possible that this sample may not be representative of the entire population it is unlikely that the population metabolises milk any differently than this sample
my mom drank buttermilk all her life [to age 86] and never broke a bone.she fell plenty of times. I drank milk 65 years and have broken ten. I took actonel a year and spine got thinner. now I’m taking k-2,silica,mag. cal. vit D tabletsz,and organic soy or almond or coconut milk; if I dont have silica I drink a beer and i hate those. I look fwd to next years scan.
and if I do not have blood pressure medicine I eat a celery heart which lowers BP and is good for heart.
absolutely! correlation (especially one as infinitesimally small as this) is NOT CAUSATION.
Epidemiology is pheudo-science quackery masquerading (and being unbelievably legitimized) as real science by this kind of brain-dead repeating.
Doesn’t matter. Any scientific study can be crap. You don’t need a scientific study, you just need common sense — drinking cow’s milk is unnatural. Of course it’s going to cause harm to the body.
Here is some more research to add to why milk is not good for your bones.
https://voices.yahoo.com/study-milk-doesnt-bones-good-11057784.html?cat=5
I see that you recommend Almond milk. What about Coconut milk? Is it as good as Almond milk? Is it as alkalizing as almond milk. What about the different brands of either? I noticed that “silk” brand almond and coconut milk has more calcium, which I have to assume is added, not naturally occurring, care to comment on that?
Hi Ted – Almond and coconut milk are both bone healthy, alkalizing alternatives to dairy milk. I don’t recommend any particular brands, but organic is preferable. And you’re right, any calcium would be added, and in most cases it would be calcium carbonate, a poorly-absorbed form of calcium.
My favorite is hazelnut milk….yummmmm!!! 🙂
I’ve been drinking milk my entire life. I currently drink about 2 gallons a week. I’ve never broken a bone, fractured a bone or had any bone related problems even though i’ve played football, baseball, basketball and competed in martial arts. The last time i had my bone density checked, i was told it was well above average.
I’ve got a glass of milk in front of me right now….. its delicious.
Aren’t you cool. Why don’t you pay attention to the article? Most of those fractured bones happen later on in life, when you are approaching or are already at an old age.
That’s great, but the fact that you have, or don’t have, a certain characteristics does not negate the science. Some people can smoke for years and never get lung cancer, but that doesn’t mean that smoking doesn’t have a direct link to lung cancer. The same is true of milk: some people may drink milk their entire lives and be fine, but that still doesn’t change the science.
A personal experience, or a “my friend/family member/coworker/etc.” story, is never going to override peer-reviewed, rigorously conducted scientific studies that include hundreds, if not thousands, or people over an extended period of time.
So, in that you’re supplying the scientific proof that contradicts a 30 year study, huh?
Wow. Have any other grains of wisdom to impart on us, the great unwashed??
I love you.
I wonder about Yoghurt and KEFIR with PROBIOTICS.
I am consuming these from time to time.
I came across many references to the fact that Kefir and some unsweetened yoghurt
are beneficial for health. Apparently fermentation of milk changes its properties and becomes less acidic.
Are there any studies about these two products?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Kefir and Yoghurt.
Hi Steven – You’re absolutely right. Fermented dairy products like yogurt and kefir are neutral to alkalizing, and are the only type of dairy products I recommend.
Hi Vivien,
thank you for your life-and bonesaving advice.
I agree with you on Milk .. I tried Almondmilk,
only to find it in my healthfoodstore being quite sweet
[with Vanilla] i did not find the unsweetend one which i would have preferred. Now i use Coconutmilk which is obtainable here in Escondido
unsweetend – which i prefer. My Question to you: Does Coconutmilk have
the same nutricious properties like the Almondmilk you are using and
advertising?
Thank you for your reply,
God Bless you…
Gerda George.
Coconut milk has a lot going for it- tastes great and healthy fat that actually wards off viruses and other healing properties. But most processed forms you buy in the carton in the store have added carragenan which is a flavor enhancer and almost always is a hidden form of monosodium glutamate (MSG) which has neurotoxic properties and burns brain cells. So don’t trade bone problems for autoimune diseases or alzheimers- it’s not worth it!
I don’t drink milk but I take calcium pills like Caltrate. What do you think?
Got your domestic cow history right here: https://archaeology.about.com/od/domestications/qt/cattle.htm Do the math. Any questions?
Cows have been domestic for close to 8 thousand years according to to an article I read online. I would think it would be okay to drink milk as long as it is organic. Great source of vitamin D which I can’t live with out. Kind of like saying the sun is bad for you, but plants that give us oxygen could not survive with out it.
Sun is bad? Milk provides vitamin D? True statements. However… Excess sun can cause cancer and wrinkles but 15 minutes a day gives you all the vitamin D you need and milk has vitamin D but also fat and cholesterol and growth hormones. We all need water but too much will drown us. I say… sun in moderation, no milk, drink water only when you’re thirsty. Common sense.
The sun does not cause cancer, it is the lack of sun that causes cancer due to a deficiency in Vitamin D. This is why tumor occur most in the winter months and countries with low sun exposure like England, Scotland, Ireland, and Canada have highest skin cancer rates. Also for a side note, avoid wearing sunscreen and sunglasses. Sunscreen denies your body of its needed vitamin D and sunglasses trick the body to thinking it is night in turn not producing melanin, the natural sun fighter of one’s skin. Other side note do not use soap for 24-48 hours after sunbathing as this is the time it takes your skin to suck up the vitamin D.
I discontinued all dairy products from my diet about 5 months ago. It wasn’t easy, but I did the research, and knew I was on the right track. Now I am free of allergies to so many things I can’t innumerate them. I have lost weight, (needed to), and all of my horrible sinus problems have completely disappeared. I also recommend Dr T Colin Campbell’s book, The China Study for those who want more indepth research. I never liked milk anyway, but ice cream…that was tough to give up. There are great chocolatey substitutes though.
I too have had sinus problems (congestion, thick mucus, over-production of clear mucus, inability to smell) for the last three years and I have tried everything shy of surgery. I would get temporary relief by taking pseudoephedrine or Flonase and I was even taking QVAR and an occasional round of prednisone for swelling in my lungs. I was told recently to quit ingesting all dairy products and I would get better. I laughed at the thought that milk was my enemy… Its been five days of no dairy and I no longer take any medication and have been able to breath effortlessly through my nose since the start of day two. Amazing. No wheezing, no crackling, no mouth breathing.
You might also check out the video Forks over Knives which references that study. Fascinating. I have gone vegan too.
EVERYONE in my family drinks at least 4 glasses of milk a day. NONE of us have ever broken or fractured a bone (my brother and I play sports). My grandmother makes sure to drink one of her glasses before she brushes her teeth and goes to bed. She’s 82 and more active than all of her peers half of which are using walkers and wheelchairs.
Sophomore year of highschool I was 150lbs 8% body fat. I couldnt gain weight to save my life. Followed the GOMAD protocol (Gallon Of Milk A Day), and now I’m 200lbs 10% body fat.
Don’t drink milk if you want to be a stubborn idiot…. That’s your choice. But don’t stunt your children’s growth.
You are insane. It is completely unnatural to drink the mammary secretion of another species. The China Study is a great example of how people like you with misinformation have caused the confusion and suffering of our planet and people.
So you saying it’s better to drink pop?
nice way to jump to completely unrelated conclusions
Sorry bubba but the China Study is a great example of how to distort data. In other words, statistically speaking it was fraudulent because not all the available data from all countries or even counties in China was used just the select few he chose to use. The conclusions reached were based on limited data and skewed results. To say the book is unscientific is an understatement. It’s about as valid as a book written by teetotallers on the health effects of alcohol. So much for science!
Some people smoke cigarettes into their 90’s with no consequences. Some people have fallen out of 20 story buildings and survived. You’re GOMAD, 200lbs 10% body fat… I really hope that works for you and you don’t end up with clogged arteries.
I read the article carefully. I have been trained to pick up on certain strategies that writers use to win arguments, and now I can’t ignore them.
The author in this case uses no citations for her claims, which is a big red flag in my book. Also, she’s clearly trying to sell readers her own commercial product for profit, so I immediately suspect this is an advertisement rather than a critical, objective article based on medical research. Third, she uses some adolescent “tricks,” some rhetorical and others visual, to help her argument. On the rhetorical side, she writes, “…the sad truth is that most mainstream health practitioners…” Uh, we usually call those people “doctors,” and labeling it the “sad truth” implies pity, condescension, and scorn for ignorance. For what? Believing our medical experts instead of an internet entrepreneur? We amateur logicians call that “judgmental language.” Her visual tricks are simple and straightforward: increase the font size and bold her claims to make them seem “louder.”
Finally, she uses some pretty egregious logical fallacies in her pitch. One example is when she writes, “Cow’s milk is custom designed for calves” as an argument for us to stay away from it. This is a typical “red herring” logical fallacy, specifically an “irrelevant thesis;” it claims something to be true, and even though it’s a valid statement, it doesn’t prove the issue in favor of the presenter. Yes, cows make milk for calves. Does this mean it’s detrimental to every other living organism? Of course not. By this logic, we should also never eat honey, as it is custom designed for bees to eat in the winter months. We should never consume salt, for it is in fact a rock (and everyone knows you shouldn’t eat rocks!). We should not eat any fruits or vegetables, since they were around long before humans were, and of course couldn’t have been “designed” for them to eat! Taking the author’s red herring argument to its ridiculous conclusion, we should only consume human milk until we’re old enough to eat food specifically designed and processed for human consumption only, such as pasta and Big Macs!
So, I read some of the comments below the article and figured I’d try to cut through the B.S. and read something on my own, from an expert source that I felt I could trust. I read through a few more articles, and I settled on the one below to repudiate the claims in the original article. It’s from the American Journal for Nutritional Sciences website, authored in March of 2003 by a nutritionist for Food Science and Human Nutrition, Washington State University Spokane. No ideological bias, no sales pitch, just science.
https://jn.nutrition.org/content/133/3/862S.long
“The effects of a protein on urinary calcium and bone metabolism are modified by other nutrients found in that protein food source. For example, the high amount of calcium in milk compensates for urinary calcium losses generated by milk protein.”
There it is, right in the abstract of the study: yes, our urine has more calcium when we drink milk, but the calcium we take from the milk offsets the calcium loss in our waste. We drink milk. Our bodies use some, and the rest goes into the toilet.
The study goes on to describe the various ways in which diet and other factors (some environmental, others biological) influence bone health. The conclusion?
“Animal and plant foods may have different effects on bone health, although these effects are mainly attributable to other constituents of the food and diet, not protein.”
You wrote the most intellegent thing on this entire webpage. Thanks for using your brain and educating visitors of this site. I wish we could be friends in real life.
Thank you, I was hoping to find someone else who had looked through the literature to save me some time. And I share your opinion about the logical aspects of many of the author’s arguments.
“Acidifying animal proteins” are not very unique for milk, but includes all sources of animal protein. Since calcium is one mean to help maintain the pH balance, I believe that milk would actually be one of the most suitable sources of animal protein from this perspective.
Also, arguing that cow’s milk is custom-designed for calves and therefore we should not drink it, is like arguing that almonds are custom-designed to sprout into new almonds trees and hence, humans should not pick and processed them into a milk substitute. In further accordance with this logic bears should not eat the honey from bees, since it is custom-made for bees and not bears as someone else pointed out in the comments already.
And sure, we’re the only species that continues to drink milk in adult age. However, we’re also the only species that doesn’t consume all of our food raw and we’re the only species that introduces foreign substances into our bodies in order to cure diseases. Being the most highly evolved species means that we’ve figured out a whole bunch of things that are beneficial for our survival and drinking milk might just be one of them.
I would also like to comment on this passage:
“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.”
To me, the only point that this argument makes is that cow’s milk isn’t a suitable replacement for human milk given to nursing babies, which probably is very true. However, trying to derive “detrimental bone health consequences” from the fact that the protein ratio is not the same as in human milk, is the same as excluding every other beverage and food out there that does not have the same macronutrient composition as human milk since they will “create metabolic disturbances in humans”.
I don’t think that the statistics the author is presenting are lying, for example there does not seem to be a correlation between drinking milk and having a reduced number of hip or forearm fractures for women in the age of 34-59. But that’s also all those statistics tell you and I there are many more studies to be conducted and mechanisms to be elucidated before any causative relationship can be claimed to exist.
Okay, I recently stopped drinking milk and have switched over to almond milk. Love it! However, there is something that I don’t quite understand:
You state that the body’s largest supply of alkalizing minerals or whatever is in the bones- their calcium. However, isn’t it true that neutralizing bile is produced after food leaves our stomach, so as not to damage the lining of the rest of our digestive tract? Just a thought that you should consider.
Please answer this comment soon, as I would like to see your answer and be further educated. If not, I will have wasted 7 minutes of my life that I will never get back.
The ignorance of the human race continues to baffle me. Cow’s milk is produced from a cow for a calf; FACT. Do you really think that cows were put on this planet to be used by us to drink their milk; it makes no sense at all that they would have been other than to the ignorant people that want to continue to drink it. It is the exact same ignorance stream that meant people were kept as slaves years ago and why we are humans are still a destructive race. Thank you to the person that wrote this and for wanting to spread the truth so that people may wake up. For the people that don’t believe this I would like to see what training or studies you are drawing on to think cow’s milk is good for you in comparison to the evidence that it is not.
Milk drinkers and slavery, really? You’re ether on the fence with this whole slavery issue or think that consuming milk magically explodes a stranger (lol). So the whole, cows milk wasn’t made for people shtick, is what doesn’t make sense to me. As a matter of fact, I challenge you to think of even one food that is designed for human consumption (think of Jeopardy music while pondering this). Some of you may have come up with… Mothers’ Milk! Good answer, but I’m not sure if this is really meant as a food source for people. Most of us only breast feed up to our early teens (what??). And mothers stop lactating when there are no children around. Some very progressive thinkers may have come up with… Babys! This is a bit of a stretch (maybe not for milk drinkers and slave owners) and if you thought this you have gone to far, bad answer. Some thought of fruits a vegetables. Good, but not truly designed for human consumption. The truth is, humans are adapted to consuming a wide variety of foods. I’m not saying that milk is health food, but it’s surely a viable food source, right? By the way, the smarty pants out there likely realized that the only food actually designed for humans are artificial foods. Good for you smarty pants, but that doesn’t mean candy is good for you. So use designer food, and milk, in moderation, and all is well. Also, for argument sake, I believe humans to be a very constructive species. Just have a look around, maybe that will cheer you up.
Load bearing exercise is your biggest indicator for bone health. When you’re talking about people who have zero dairy in their diet, you’re talking rural China, and of course they have healthy bones, they’re farmers.
It’s silly how we’ve been impacted by dairy lobby info pushed through the public schools telling you that you must drink milk, even when you’re getting the equivalent of a few gallons in the other dairy products you’re being served, anyway. But don’t go to far in your backlash against this and start talking like it’s some kind of amazing poison, most of this article is against animal proteins, and dairy isn’t our only source of those. We can measure bone density, so, is it possible to drink milk and have healthy strong bones? Absolutely. Again, the driving factor in bone density change is load bearing exercise, unless you’re actually malnourished. Would you be healthier if you only ate leafy greens, supplemented occasionally by fruits and vegetables? Of course; is that news to you?
Not sure if this article is serous.
This article goes against studies of the befits of milk, using pseudoscience to further prove a even more pseudoscientific article. Milk is proven to improve health and that is not up to debate with the scientific community, its in the food guide for every country that i can think of, Doctor recommended.
Next your going to tell me exercise is a scam set out to sell band aids, while the Chinese sell our children organs to zoos. Ah, zoos are a myth to right?
As for the comments promoting Raw milk, you know the stuff crawling with pathogens and was responsible for many deaths before pasteurized milk came along?
I just finished off a glass of milk, but this one made me thirsty for another. Before you flame me, do some real research (no conspiracy theory monthly is not a valid source)take a deep breath and have a cup of milk
Not sure if you are serious or have read the latest research into the non benefits of cow’s milk. Cows produce milk for their calves not for humans. I would have thought that was pretty obvious and it shows your level of consciousness if you think otherwise.
Well that’s a terrible argument if your going to pull that card you could say the same thing about apples. The fruit of the apple was obviously made for the seeds of the apple tree, not for human consumption. Obviously any thing we consume is broken down in our stomachs before absorbed and it just so happens that milk is a great source of protein and slow acting carbs(I don’t drink whole milk because of sat fat and cholesterol. Who cares about the calcium go get some exercise and your bones will be strong-Drink some milk and your muscles will be strong.
Apples are made to attract animals to eat them and carry the seeds further away from the apple tree so that the seeds of the apple can be dispersed. This allows a new apple tree to grow in a new environmant where it doesn’t compete with the original apple tree. As humans are capable of dispersing apple seeds you can say that apples are made for humans and other animals.
Whole raw milk from happy, healthy, grass-fed cows is completely different from the dead, ultra-Pasteurized, homogonized milk from sick cows loaded up with antibiotics, growth hormones and all sorts of other crap. I would never drink that kind of “man-made” milk.
I think it is very funny that people are still talking about drinking milk after reading this article. I mean if you are reading on this page you must be curious right? How does this not answer your question? It is just straight common sense. We are human, we eat stuff for humans they eat stuff for cows. No mixing and no compromising. Did you ever wonder why all species just stop drinking milk after they can digest food? Because they don’t need it and they certainly do not go and find another animal to extract their milk from.
Some day people will realize that we are not supposed to eat 98% of the food that they sell in a grocery store. Also, a little bit of a fun fact, the grocery store wasn’t invented till the early 20th century. Look at how gross it has become. Anyways, I hope whoever reads this article takes it to heart. Because 18% or so of the greenhouse gases come from cows. That’s not cool. Good luck and to the author of this article THANK YOU!
I am right behind you
Salute.
Solution to everything:
Grow your own food.
Dirt, Water…. Food.
Just because other animals don’t do it, doesn’t make it bad. What kind of argument is that?
You “moderation” guys are fools. Yea sure having milk, chocolate, alcohol etc, in moderation is fine and not going to kill you but the problem is 95% of humans eat and drink crap DAILY! You drink coke daily, you eat processed foods daily, you drink milk daily, you have your coffee daily, you don’t eat enough veggies daily….1 in 3 people die from cancer apparently….gee I wonder why. Wake up and see reality.
How does that make them fools? If anything it is the people who don’t eat/drink in moderation. And chocolate? What chocolate are we talking about?
ask yourself or your neighbors if they know about 75% and plus pure chocolate? you might be surprise. Kitkat is usually the first choice.
Thank you Vivian. I got my Osteoporosis Reversal Program yesterday. She is backed by many professionals, studies and sound information.
Don’t hide your head in the sand. Educate yourself. Don’t blindly trust anyone with your health. That includes your doctors. My doctor prescribed Reclast for me. Look into the side effects, which were also listed on my doctor’s “unbiased” drug information site that he pays a lot of money for. Needless to say I’m not taking that nightmarish drug.
Take care of yourself by understanding what you put into your body. Don’t make decisions until your have and understand the facts. Remember Vioxx and now Fosamax – one side effect is snapping your femur bone – isn’t Fosamax supposed to protect against fractures? Educate yourself.
It seems as if all the opposition comes from those too close minded to learn anything new. Technology and science allows us to know things about many things, including nutritional needs, that we never knew before. Wake up! Watch the documentary called Forks Over Knives.
Had allergies and strange health problems? Could be tied to milk…bet you don’t know as much as you think you do about the dairy industry and the harmful effects of milk on the body.
Got the facts on Milk? (also known as “The Milk Documentary” is an entertaining, award winning feature documentary that dares to question the conventional wisdom of the much publicized health benefits of milk and dairy products.
Addressing myth, truth and all in-between, the film is a humorous yet shocking exposition that provokes serious thought about this everyday staple. Definitely worth checking out! There are some amazing facts in here that will blow your mind!
Please check it out and pass it on, let’s spread the word!
https://www.milkdocumentary.com/
I haven’t had a glass of milk in a while and still feel the same. Either you people are just retards who are lactose intolerant or you just eat like shit, I dunno. But I’ve read of people who were raised on farms, who drank milk, etc and nothing is wrong with them.
Shocking ignorance is still rampant in the human race I see. What changes did you expect seeing as you are obviously a very conscious and in tune kind of person. I doubt if you would notice any difference due to the fact you are so mentally closed down and ignorant. Cows milk is for cows; is that not obvious; really really obvious. Giving up cows milk is just one part of being more healthy; again I would have thought rather obvious; or maybe not for you.
Are you advocating cannibilism? We don’t drink human milk as adults, but it seems you only want to comsume human products. Vegatables and fruits aren’t human made, but they somehow are good for us…
I gave up gluten and cows milk about two years ago. What about goat milk. I use it to make kifer. It seems to help with my celiac disease.
Wow. Just WOW. I have never read a more biased, poorly researched, and frankly ridiculous article than this one. I am amazed.
Perhaps you woud like to point out where the study is mistaken. We you there when the study was taken place?
look i live on a dairy farm and i’m about 100% sure that a calf dosent weigh 100 pounds when they are born and no where near close to 800 pounds when they are weaned. you pepole have probably never seen how much dairy farmers care for their animals and how much work goes into it. i wish some people would stop juding all farms because of what one did.
To Mr. “Caring” Dairy Farmer: You probably don’t want to say what happens to the male calves that the cows give birth to. Since males don’t produce milk and therefore are of no use to the dairy industry, they are confined in tiny crates, unable to turn around, until they are sold and slaughtered for veal. Your entire industry is DISGUSTING.
Nick your probably drinking , or I hope your drinking milk from cows that are Grass fed , with out hormons or antibiotics etc, and your milk is Raw strieght from the cow..
If not, your drinking milk that is heated up so high (processed) , there is not anything left in it to make anyone healthy.
If its processed , it becomes acid food, and has too much protien in it.
Which robs our bones of calcium, and has the protien is hard on the kiddneys, and clogs up the arteries.
You work hard on a dairy farm, so does that make dairy healthy ?
NO.
So I’m confused…how was the article biased? Get your head out of your ass.
Why are we spending valuable time arguing over something as pointless as the healthiness of milk when we could be doing other things to help our bodies ie. exercise, resting…?
Great article! It’s true, humans do not need milk after infancy, much less another species’s milk! Meat and Dairy is DETRIMENTAL to human health, and leads to MULTIPLE diseases and ailments.
In these modern times, more and more people are waking up and realizing that what we’ve been told growing up is not all true… it is big corporations that pay big bucks to convince us that consuming their animal products is good for us – when it is actually very bad for you.
Also, it seems to be common thought that the milk you drink comes from a happy cow on a farm that grazes all day until a farmer comes to milk her, painlesslessly. But actually, the milk industry, like any industry, does’nt work like that. Dairy cows are kept in tiny units in a factory, attached to uncomfortable/painful tubes/milking machines and kept pregnant constantly (so that they produce milk) they do not get to be with their babies, as those calves are swiftly sent off to the slaughter house if male, or put into the same milking system as their mother if they are female.
Think about it, when you were a little kid, and someone told you that that burger was made of a cow, you didnt like that thought did you? Especially if you had a pet. But you were brainwashed and conditioned into thinking that it is just what you were supposed to do, and you unknowingly became a devoted consumer to the meat & dairy industry.
Check out this article for info on why some people think its ok to eat some animals and not others, and why some meat eaters get angry when they hear about someone being vegetarian – its very interesting and worth a read!
https://www.good.is/post/carnism-if-you-eat-cows-why-not-golden-retrievers-too/
I find it amusing how you people don’t do research and you’re so fat that you can’t get over the fact that milk is bad for you. There are also movies about how milk and other animal products are bad for human health. Ask yourself..where do cows get their calcium from? Would you breastfeed off your mom your whole life? Keep drinking and eating what you want, but have fun getting cancers and diseases that come along with animal products! (;
i’m sorry, but i live on a dairy farm and maybe you should do alittle research before you go off saying stuff that you know nothing about….i have been drinking miolk my whole life working all the time and never broke a bone and you need to look into the processing of milk.
You live on a dairy farm its pretty much organic! She can state her oppinions on here
How old are you? you don’t brake bone just looking at it.
Hmmm, it was an interesting debate until you chimed in with her prejudice and hate comments. What a turn off and a detriment to those fighting on your ‘side’ of the argument.
Wow, it is in the movies so it must be true!
Documentary *
Well then. Documentary! It must be true. So i guess you believe everything you see just because it labeled a documentary. Great logic.
I believe its common sense that drinking milk from another species is NOT natural. Just because you can consume something doesn’t mean that you’re suppose to. And please stop acting like a smart ass.
wow this is the dumbest thing I have ever heard. so your saying that the government that told me to drink milk is wrong. hahaha
The government lies..hmm you didn’t know that smarty? Also the dairy industry pays the government to put milk as essential on the food pyramid.
The natural pH of milk is 6.6-6.7. Since a score of 7 on the pH scale is nuetral milk is not an aci! When the pH of milk drops to 4.6 the proteins in milk get unstable and denaturate. That is how you make yogurt! Milk Proteins are not ACIDIC to your body! They denature in acidic conditions.
Foods that are more acidic than milk are: bananas, soda, wine, grapes, lemons, potoatoes, squash, wheat flour, and find more at https://www.medicinalfoodnews.com/vol04/issue4/acidity.htm.
Should we scratch these out of our diets too?
Do you know they injects cows with hormones and other shit? Do your research. You fail at life, bitch.
Oh yeah and because milk is low in acidity makes it good for you?!
Well said. As for Jane, you should be ashamed of yourself.
I’m not ashamed at myself for being smarter than you 🙂
Wow Jane, way to prove your point there. I found your comments to be very enlightening. Thank you so much for clearing everything up for me. Also, thank you for pointing out that you are smarter than these other dummies. That is how I knew your knowledge and advice was superior. Excellent debate.
Unfortunately your “acidic food = acidifying agent to the body” is not accurate. How a food alkalizes or acidifies the body is a result of how the body metabolizes the food, not a result of the acidity of the food itself. Milk may be alkaline to begin with, but after drinking causes acidification because of how the body handles protein in general. Likewise, lemons, which you rightly claim are acidic, are used to alkalize the blood because of how the body reacts to it. Read up on the alkalizing benefits of drinking lemon water. Not a direct correlation. Sorry.
You are an ugly, angry person inside. What a potty mouth! I knew I should have stopped reading 5 minutes ago.
I think its been too long since you have sat down with a warm plate of cookies and a cold glass of milk!
Sorry but I eat HEALTHY.
The dumbest thing I’ve ever heard is “If it was bad for me the government wouldn’t let it happen” NEWSFLASH the government allowed slavery to go on forever. The GOVERNMENT sells you cigarettes and alcohol legally, even though we all know how bad those things are. the GOVERNMENT is most interested in making money, not in your personal health.
LMAO!!! Wow we have a conspiracy here. Yes, alcohol and cigarettes are legal but come with health warnings because true scientific data has proven they are not good for you. I don’t see the warnings on milk products because there apparently isn’t sufficient data to prove whether it is or isn’t bad for humans. And Thankfully I still have the right to choose what I put in my body.
While I was trying to weigh both sides and make an informed decision whether or not to consume milk, (really, I was considering a change to almond milk)I see that this site is not the place to get any information.
I am appalled that some commenters stick to their under-researched and unproven beliefs and resort to name calling when someone else points out actual facts, rather than putting forth real data to prove their point. I visited this site in hopes of gaining knowledge. It appears that if a person’s knowledge/data contradicts the author’s point of view that person is ostracized by the “believers.”
I have to say I am pretty digusted by some of the comments on here. Shaming people and calling people names? Really? That, along with doing my own research outside of this article, proves to me there is no credibility here whatsoever.
Also, this point quoted from the article makes absolutely no sense:
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 gainst 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).
PLEASE tell me WHERE does it say “in the author’s own words” that those who consumed the most calcium from dairy foods broke more bones than those who rarely drank milk? It does not say that. The author’s own words were pretty ambiguous to be fair. The author merely states that higher consumption of milk or other food sources of calcium by adult women has not been proven to PROTECT AGAINST hip or forearm fractures.
This has been somewhat entertaining if nothing else I suppose. Well, not really. Mostly a waste of my time. Go ahead trolls…chew me apart like you did everyone else that disagreed with your beliefs. You make me think of some crazy cult.
you know things these days all have their negative and positive effects. nothing these days are always beneficial for you or harmful to you. Milk actually does help increase calcium in the bone because I did this experiment on bone decalcification and then recalcification…
Sustained fractured pelvis and ribs in road accident-2011:
was prescribed PROLIA:
have had (3)injectionns: am not keen to continue!!
Have visited your website and heard your video:
your formulations resonated with me!
Thankyou for your reseach.
I am an elder: almost blind: slender purse.
HAIKU, from the ZEN tradition is my spiritual discipline:
it requires me to formulate, condense and convey, the quintessential nature of my experiences into no more than seventeen syllables.
For my bones sake, would you email me just the ‘quintessentials’ you deem necessary, to rid the organism of PROLIA and re-start a formerly healthy immune system?
most cordially,
KPB.
system to
findings?
Anyone else find it interesting that this article quotes scientists and scientific studies, but leaves no sources? No bibliography? On top of being unreliable, that’s also plagiarism – nice job.
What a load of bullocks.
Here’s a peer reviewed article that reviews most of the studies listed above:
https://jn.nutrition.org/content/133/3/862S.long
The coveted 12 year nurses study this author mentions and puts such faith in is mentioned in the above article.
There is suggestion that in some women this is possible, but again, due to conflicting studies, the information is considered inconclusive. Keep in mind as well, that you can create blood ph from animal AND plant proteins. The hippies like to leave that part out.
Again, as mentioned in many journals, and due to conflicting research, the link between lactose (specifically galactose) and cancer is also inconclusive. Find this article:
^ Genkinger, Jeanine M., Hunter, David J., Spiegelman, Donna, Anderson, Kristin E., Arslan, Alan, Beeson, W. Lawrence, Buring, Julie E., Fraser, Gary E., Freudenheim, Jo L., Goldbohm, R. Alexandra, Hankinson, Susan E., Jacobs, David R., Jr., Koushik, Anita, Lacey, James V., Jr., Larsson, Susanna C., Leitzmann, Michael, McCullough, Marji L., Miller, Anthony B., Rodriguez, Carmen, Rohan, Thomas E., Schouten, Leo J., Shore, Roy, Smit, Ellen, Wolk, Alicja, Zhang, Shumin M., Smith-Warner, Stephanie A. (2006). “Dairy Products and Ovarian Cancer: A Pooled Analysis of 12 Cohort Studies”. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev 15 (2): 364–372. doi:10.1158/1055-9965.EPI-05-0484. PMID 16492930.
You can just simply read whatever some animal rights hippies write on the internet, or, you can learn some basic scientific skills for yourself, and go through a journal database online or at a university and make your own informed decision. What is sad is most of the people on here are making all of these uninformed opinions about milk and they don’t even know the science behind any of it. How many people reading this even know that lactose is a disaccharide sugar? No wonder Hitler had such an easy time convincing people it was communists who burnt down the Reichstag.
So because someone is vegan or a health freak(whatever) it makes them a hippie?
Yep, completely ignore the point of what was said and zero in on the word hippie. That totally makes you look cool and rational.
LOL^^
they must be red neck themselves to call you hippie! Everybody is holding on to their fort. It’s like that in everything look at the the debate on tv those days. I believe milk is for baby cow and milk from my breast is the way to go and after that water is the best choice with occasional green and white tea. But also there is lots of people here in this country that believe Coke is the best substitute for milk for young kids. Breastfeeding is foreign to them.
Cows are injected with antibiotics and artificial hormones to make them produce more milk which is causing new diseases and young people to develop early.
Cows milk is for cows and not for humans. This should not be a difficult concept to understand especially for you as you seem so intent on being abusive to anyone who does not think like you so you must be pretty sure about yourself. It is exactly because of closed minded people like you that the human race is destructive and ignorant. If this does not float your boat, then float on by rather than trying to make yourself sound half way intelligent by quoting a load of info in your reply to this. why do you feel the need to attack people that are trying to do something good for the world or stand up for something they believe in. At least people who are vegan are doing it because they want to change this world to a better place. Whats your reason for getting involved; because you want to feel empowered by belittling others views. Interesting that you mentioned Hitler seeing as it was exactly because of wanting power and others to be small that he did what he did; similar motivation to you it would seem.
Exactly wrong. why does everyone need citations and references to prove a point? It only takes common sense to know what is right or wrong rather than such references. Cow milk is for cow. Have you ever heard of any animals that drink off human milk for life? In fact, humans are the only animals that drink milk into adulthood. This information on milk has been discovered decades ago in the States but it was covered by media for business purposes. For Pete’s sake, why can’t people just give up milk? Is it simply because for the pleasure of our mouths that we are going to let poor dairy cows suffer the pain of being milked by machines? Some even bleed into the milk…I have seen such cases before my eyes and it hurts to watch. Milk actually doesn’t taste like that. Milk that we get in stores have been chemically processed to change the taste. If anyone has tried raw milk, they know exactly what I am talking about. I personally find it disgusting from taste testing it.
Also note that North America is known for the highest rate of osteoporosis. North Americans all drink milk. Continents where cow milk isn’t so available like Asian countries and Africa have such a low rate of osteoporosis. Why? They don’t have much access to cow milk. Ever since milk became availabe in Asian countries, health of the people greatly declined. Sometimes I would meet an old lady or man from an Asian country. They are soooo active and not needing a cane at all… as compared to a North American man or woman or the same age would not be as healthy or active.
In regards to global warming, the primary reason of global warming is because of meat. Think about how much land is cleared for raising animals? How much rainforest has been cleared? 80 000 acres a day! It generally takes about 2500 gallons of water, 12 pounds of grain, and 55 sq feet of land to raise a cow. Quite a waste when you come to think of it. 12 pounds of grain can feed how many people for how long? 2500 gallons of water to quench thirst for how many people? All goes towards a single cow.
From my own experience, I have been vegetarian since birth. I never lived off drinking milk or meat. It doesn’t affect my growth at all. I am currently taller than average and not any weaker muscle-wise than anyone I know. I am also pretty much never sick. To add onto sickness, milk is the reason why people have allergies nowadays. Our body isn’t designed to take in milk because it is unnatural. It rejects other natural foods in the future. Take note of someone who has food allergies or tons of health problems, they previously drank a lot of milk or still do.
In addition, why do we get mad cow’s disease. Some of us know that cows nowadays are also fed dead meat from leftover bodies of other former ranch animals. It cuts the producers’ expanses to buy grain. Cows are herbivores why are you force feeding them meat? It’s no wonder they go “mad”… that mad energy poisons the body.
Save the environment. Save your bones. Save your poor body. Please. Use some common sense…please.
Since you want references so bad…:
David Goldstein, “Up Close: A Beef With Dairy,” KCAL, 30 May 2002.
* Stephanie Simon, “Mad Cow Casts Light on Beef Uses,” Los Angeles Times 4 Jan. 2004.
* Department of Animal Science, “Dairy Cattle Teaching & Research Center,” Michigan State University, 14 Apr. 2009.
* T. Dewey and J. Ng, “Bos taurus,” Animal Diversity Web 2001.
* Anne Karpf, “Dairy Monsters,” The Guardian 13 Dec. 2003.
* Richard L. Wallace, “Market Cows: A Potential Profit Center,” University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign, 2004.
* U.S. Department of Agriculture, National Agriculture Statistics Service, “Milk Cows and Production Estimates 2003-2007,” Mar. 2009.
* Don P. Blaney, “The Changing Landscape of U.S. Milk Production,” Statistical Bulletin Number 978, U.S. Department of Agriculture, Jun. 2002.
* U.S. Department of Agriculture.
David Pace, “Feeding a Bucket Calf,” Oklahoma Cooperative Extension Service, Oklahoma State University.
* Helen Pearson, “Udder Suicide, E. Coli Kill Off Milk-Making Mammary Cells,” Nature 6 Aug. 2001.
* National Mastitis Council, “Guidelines on Normal and Abnormal Raw Milk Based on Somatic Cell Counts and Signs of Clinical Mastitis,” 2001.
* P.L. Ruegg, “Practical Food Safety Interventions for Dairy Production,” Journal of Dairy Science 86 (2003): E1-E9.
* National Mastitis Council.
* S. Waage et al., “Identification of Risk Factors for Clinical Mastitis in Dairy Heifers,” Journal of Dairy Science 81 (1998): 1275-84.
* Morten Dam Rasmussen et al., “The Impact of Automatic Milking on Udder Health,” Proceedings of the Second International Symposium on Mastitis and Milk Quality (Vancouver: 2001).
* Shannon Linderoth, “Mastitis Resistance in the Genes,” Dairy Herd Management 1 Dec. 2006.
* Susan C. Kahler, “Raising Contented Cattle Makes Welfare, Production Sense,” Journal of the American Veterinary Medical Association 218 (2001): 182-6.
* U.S. Department of Agriculture, Food Safety and Inspection Service, “Safety of Veal, From Farm to Table,” Oct. 2006.
* John M. Smith, “Raising Dairy Veal,” Ohio State University; information adapted from the Guide for the Care and Production of Veal Calves, 4th ed., 1993, American Veal Association, Inc.
* United States Environmental Protection Agency, “California Animal Waste Management,” 11 Aug. 2009.
* John Burnett, “New Mexico Dairy Pollution Sparks ‘Manure War’,” National Public Radio, 8 Dec. 2009.
* M. Jenkins and D.D. Bowman, “Viability of Pathogens in the Environment,” Pathogens in the Environment Workshop Proceedings (Kansas City, Mo.: 23-25 Feb. 2004).
* James Owen, “California Cows Fail Latest Emissions Test,” National Geographic News 16 Aug. 2005.
26) Ruben Lubowski et al., “Major Uses of Land in the United States, 2002,” Economic Information Bulletin No. (EIB-14), U.S. Department of Agriculture, 14 May 2006.
* T. Wright, “Water Quality for Dairy Cattle,” Factsheet Oct. 2003.
* Ontario Farm Animal Council, “Beef Cattle Farming in Ontario,” 2005.
* American Gastroenterological Association, “American Gastroenterological Association Medical Position Statement: Guidelines for the Evaluation of Food Allergies,” Gastroenterology 120 (2001): 1023-5.
* National Digestive Diseases Information Clearinghouse, “Lactose Intolerance,” National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases, Jun. 2009.
* Courtney Taylor, “Got Milk (Intolerance)? Digestive Malady Affects 30-50 Million,” The Clarion-Ledger 1 Aug. 2003.
* Severin Carrell, “Milk Causes ‘Serious Illness for 7M Britons.’ Scientists Say Undetected Lactose Intolerance Is to Blame for Chronic Fatigue, Arthritis, and Bowel Problems,” The Independent 22 Jun. 2003.
*) D. Feskanich et al., “Milk, Dietary Calcium, and Bone Fractures in Women: A 12-Year Prospective Study,”American Journal of Public Health 87(1997): 992-97.
* U.S. National Library and the National Institutes of Health, “Kwashiorkor,” Medline Plus Medical Encyclopedia, 18 Dec. 2009.
* Reuters, “Animal Protein and Fat Raise Endometrial Cancer Risk,” 21 Mar. 2007.
* June M. Chan et al., “Pancreatic Cancer, Animal Protein and Dietary Fat in a Population-Based Study,”Cancer Causes and Control 18 (2007): 1153-67.
* N.E. Allen et al., “Animal Foods, Protein, Calcium and Prostate Cancer Risk: The European Prospective Investigation Into Cancer and Nutrition,” British Journal of Cancer 98 (2008): 1574-81.
* Karpf.
Hi
I really enjoyed reading your article.
I have been a vegan for over 30 years. I became a vegan due to health reasons and since then have never had to visit a doctor. I do follow a healthy diet, (mainly organic and farmers market) but it seems to have been worth it.
I have always maintained that we do not need animal milk. I have read that once we have stopped weaning we no longer have the renet needed to digest milk and allowing it to coagulate.
I would love to have a survey amongst vegans to see if they have good health
VIVIAN THANKS FOR ENLIGHTENING US WITH YOUR KNOWLEDGE.
I HAVE BEING LOOKING FOR STEVIA, AND I HAVE FOUND WHITE EXCTRACT POWDER
OF STEVIA.AS FAR AS I UNDERSTAND STEVIA GREEN POWDER IS THE REAL THING,
WHAT ABOUT OF THE CRYSTALIZED STEVIA, REGARDING ITS QUALITY AND HEALTH
CONSIDERATION ? PLEASE GIVE ME SOME REAL FACTS ABOUT TO THESE TWO TYPES.
JULIO
My Grand Mother had a dairy farm, so my mother and all her siblings had milk at least three times a day, as a child she would try forcing me to drink milk, and every time I gagged. I used to get quite a few slaps, when I threw it out the window as soon as she left the table.
I used to be the only child that did’nt get to stop from school because of
measles, mumps, whooping coughs, mumps and chicken pox. I used to try like hell, because I didnt think it was fair, so once I even broke a few pustules of chicken pox off my brother, rubbed them on my belly and tried to incubate them, the following morning, i TRIED TO SHOW MY MOM, there was only slight blister(only one came up) by the following morning I was back to school because it had totally dried up much to my dismay!!
Another thing though, My mother had pretty much lost all most of her teeth by age 50 and it wasn’t the lack of proper oral hygiene, she became badly
osteo porotic, which I didnt understand at all, since she had consumed so much
calcium by way of milk.
Although I do believe just about everything you have said about osteoporosis and the “medicines” that you actually should NEVER TAKE
to attempt to rebuild your bones; I would also like to let you know
that the normal people in my age group today mostly live on Social
Security Income only. Therefore, though I would dearly love to purchase
your program for bone regrowth, it would take 10 to 30 percent of my
income to do so. This means that I will never be able to afford it and
in my instance as with many others my age (67),I have already suffered
several broken bones, some of which were attributed to osteoporosis. I
live every day with the fear of falling or breaking a bone in some other
way. So you see what is a big money maker for you is an impossible
purchase to work into my budget in any way, shape or form.
Thanks anyway for at least confirming what I have always suspected about
these bone building products(which I stopped using some time ago)and I hope that some day what you are selling will be available to the general
public without cost.
Your body needs vitamin d to absorb the calcium. This vitamin helps with bone density and muscle health. You can’t have one without the other. Go to medical school and learn about the human body properly. Also, in the middle ages they believed that shouting at you “get better” would work, just watch the tv show Horrible Histories and you can learn more about medicine and how it has improved over the years.
Please list your sources for your “many scientific studies”.
I don’t get the logic that says we are the only species that drinks another species milk…aren’t we also the only species that cultivates the ground & plants seed to grow food…that builds sewage systems to process our waste…I could go on, but you know what I mean.
I find it interesting that the author says that the animal protein in milk is what causes the acidic effect on the body. Now, is milk the only source of animal protein in a typical American diet? Certainly not! So we need to look at the whole picture here. Is animal protein now off limits altogether? No beef, no milk, no fish, no chicken. Is that it? Now we are reduced to grains, legumes and greens. That doesn’t sound too healthy to me. Women, and especially pregnant and postpartum women need the iron from red meat to replenish their supply.
So then, if animal protein is fairly necessary in our diets (no offense to you vegans out there who think otherwise), why is one animal protein good and another one bad? I disagree with the premise the author is trying to communicate. If animal protein in milk is bad, then she needs to also bring to light the fault of meats and other sources of animal protein for our country’s higher osteoporosis rates.
I love milk, I know that raw milk is best but I can’t afford it. So I and my son drink regular, pasteurized, homogenized milk because it’s affordable and it tastes good. Almond milk and the like are usually about 4 times as expensive as regular milk. When you’re on a tight budget, uber healthy choices are usually not an option.
I don’t eat a lot of meats, just don’t have a taste for some of them, so dairy is one of my go-to protein choices along with nuts/peanut butter and eggs. I have thrived on milk from a young age and I continue to do so. I refuse to forfeit this nutritious drink that, in moderation, helps me to have a well-balanced diet. To each their own!
Joy, ALL Animal Protein is bad for you.
Educate your mind and research the cause of all Human Diseases that is attributable to consumption of any Animal Protein.
Heart Disease, Stroke, etc.
Do the research instead of offering your clueless opinion, which is meaningless.
“…grains, legumes and greens. That doesn’t sound too healthy to me.”.
Kindly provide the studies that prove this.
You can’t because they don’t exists.
The Meat and Dairy Industries payed off the USDA to have Top Tier Standing in the USDA’s Food Pyramid, to the detriment of the U.S population’s health.
https://www.quick-weight-loss-principles.com/usda-food-pyramid-history.html
Consume ALL of the Animal Protein that you want and then when you succumb to ANY of the Diseases caused by the consumption of Animal Protein, remember that someone tried to educate you about the hazards of Animal Protein Consumption, but through your uneducated, ignorance you refused to listen.
Consume away ALL Animal Protein that you want, the world needs less brainwashed, ignorant people that refuse to listen to ANY facts that affect their health.
Any person who believes this needs to get off the internet and do some real life research. A person can put virtually anything they want on the internet. Milk is a natural beverage that animals can process after weaning but don’t because it is less efficient than feeding from other sources. The milk sold in stores is processed to ensure human safety and contains no pus, antibiotics, or artificial hormones. The proteins and sugars can be processed by humans. Vitamins and minerals are not species specific. Calcium from cows milk is utilized as all calcium sources are. Go visit a local creamery and a doctor.
I think people should watch the video “You are what you eat.” There are studies that have been pretty much black listed by the library that boasts about being the biggest in the nation. Those studies include mega-doses of vitamins and how it helps cure most illnesses like depression. They also talk about how the medical field is funded by pharmacutical drug companies and thus there is a bias in the information they provide. Think about how often do you see drug advertisements on TV? Too damn much.
Probably the highlight of the whole video is how they talk about the Gerson therapy and how successful it is in curing cancer. Our body is amazing for how well it heals itself and how a balanced diet of at least a maximum intake of 49% meat in your meals. Your body actually will attack itself if more than 50% is consummed. Meat and sugar provide cancer cells to survive. So if you’re saying meat is good, it is, but in moderation.
If you’re saying you do not have the means for healthy food, then think about the costs of going to the doctor and paying for medication. I certainly think it’s worth the effort, especially if you know it could have been prevented.
This might shed some light on how important animal protein food source is.
https://jn.nutrition.org/content/133/11/3886S.full.pdf
Could you please provide your sources for your statement that the cause of all Human Diseases is attributable to consumption of any Animal Protein?
And that the Meat and Dairy Industries payed off the USDA to have Top Tier Standing in the USDA’s Food Pyramid, to the detriment of the U.S population’s health?
I have Googled this, and cannot find this information anywhere. Please enlighten me. Also, if animal proteins really do kill, it seems to me that the human race would have gone extinct long ago.
Regarding your meat comment, our diet should consists entirelyof Plants! Haha Iron and every other beneficial food if found in plants! So just simply avoid milk and meat. Stick to simple, Healthy, fiber, and vitamin loaded natural plants and you’ll do just fine.
Bad news for me, I guess. I love ice-cold milk, ice cream and milkshakes. In recent years I downgraded (or upgraded?) to 2% low fat milk to help maintain my weight. And I still use Coffeemate in my morning coffee. Another reason for my switch to low fat is that my development of lactose intolerance is lessened. I’m in my late 50’s in good health otherwise but I don’t see giving up milk altogether. I certainly drink a lot less of it nowadays but I love the stuff. I did try almond milk, it tastes fine but I have difficulty with the thicker texture of it. Years ago, my nephew had serious skin problems (exzema, psoriasis) all over his body from the time he stopped breast feeding until he was about 7 yrs old. Early on, his pediatrician recommended soy milk which the kid obviously disliked but was given no other choice. Out of curiosity, I tasted it and understood his resistance to drinking it. It was nasty! Around the age of 7, he had to sneak pasteurized homogenated (read regular) milk from the fridge and his condition cleared by the time he turned 8. What does that say about milk from contented cows? If non-smokers can die of lung cancer, can non-milk drinkers also die of calcium depletion or worse, bone cancer? The jury is still out on this one, I think. Meanwhile, let’s not shoot the messenger. Vivian does present some food (milk?) for thought.
I’m an advocate of raw milk and I believe that studies should be taken to understand if it’s better, it obviously will be to some extent because we all know processing has horrible effects on food.
But I really want to know why you present scientific proof of the health risks involved with processed milk, and then state a personal opinion (“I still don’t recommend drinking any kind of cows milk”)? If you’re going to state opinion, then state everything else as one too. If you’re going to be stating unbiased scientific fact, not meant to stir up controversy to get your name out there, but to provide facts. Then please only use those. You’re not a biologist, so please don’t use people’s naive trust, that comes out of you talking about the subject like you are in a position, to make us believe what you want them to believe.
Trey ; Your obvious prejudicial attitude has blinded you to the pink elephant, shitting in living room, right in front of you. First realize that the author in the article is devoted to helping people. This is evidenced by both her training and profession; you may also gather by her style of writing that she convinces one; of her sincerity. Please don’t dismiss her opinion because you, reactively oppose it; predicated by your own beliefs. Her opinion is of scientific value because she has researched and come to that opinion by the expanse of her experience. Read the article again ,trying not to be so reactive. If you disagree redouble your study of the subject and then cite the studies that support your position. Don’t project yourself as an immature kid whom thinks all the people older than you are dummies. You will find that even, your parents, are much wiser than you;if you are fortunate enough to survive your younger years ………. when you knew everything!
I fail to see why you demand studies cited to support his claim that this whole no-milk thing is fraudulent when you don’t demand to see the sources that Vivian is using to say that it is indeed fact. There’s no logic in it.
I’m absolutely shocked to read that milk does not help build strong bones.
Is Forteo (parathyroid hormone) safe to use? Does it work to improve osteoporosis?
Watch this map change colors over the last 20 years.
https://www.cdc.gov/obesity/data/trends.html
Now, you cannot dispute that there are things at play plaguing our health. Open your minds. I made the switch, liked better what I found, and feel better none the less. This is the tip of the iceberg if you ask me. One of many issues.
So many argue first and act second, or never. Read labels throughout any grocery store and start thinking, “Have I ever heard of that.” Then put together the whole. You’ll see business strategy and nothing else. Take this info with a grain of salt as I did years ago when it was emerging. When an opportunity presents itself that milk is the culprit of an ailment for you or a loved one, speak up. I did and I was right about it.
“were the only mammal that doesn’t drink other mammals milk” lol what a piece of work this article is. I’m pretty sure we don’t eat our raw placentas and after birth and don’t sleep outside doing the bare minimum to survive a measly ten years to reproduce and keep our species alive. Also, if milk is, as this article even states, loaded with a ton of calcium, then how could it still be so freaking acidic that it cant neutralize itself and in fact takes calcium from my bones? I bet you don’t even know the what the process of depositing and extracting calcium from your bones is called or how it happens or why. It’s a Negative feedback process so unless your telling me that 300 years ago people were running around drinking soy and rice milk, or that they had a life time of constant bone depletion then im pretty sure milk is fine.
Lol milks a freaking base to be specific. And by the way you might as well have put an asterik with subtext stating “all of our research was done by people who are partners with the save our bones program. We pay them to find snippets of out of context work to convince you that modern medicine and health is completely wrong and you should by our freaking manual on how to drink soy milk” oh and here’s a thought, when you were writing about the countries that don’t drink milk having less osteoporosis, I might also have mentioned that most of those would be third world nations too poor to afford cows or other essentials, such as oh I don’t know a fucking trip to the doctor to get diagnosed? Same thing in California when one “post-modernist hipster son of a bitch” doctor claimed that vaccines for diseases such as polio caused autism because compared to “countries with less vaccines, we had way more autism” well probably because most countries without vaccines are third world nations with no diagnosis of autism. And then hundreds of children died right here in America. F****g twits.
Actually, cows milk pH is between 6.6-6.8, which makes it slightly acidic. This is not the major issue though, as its not so much the acidity of the milk itself, it is the acidity of the metabolic byproducts produced when animal proteins are metabolized in our bodies.
Make sure you do at least a quick Google search to check your facts before you decide to post rude and offensive comments that are completely inaccurate.
Wow dumbass, most people drank beer & water 300 years ago.
Actually, it doesn’t get a chance to neutralize itself. When animal protein is metabolized into Acetyl CoA (in our bodies, not in the milk), ketoacids are produced as a metabolic byproduct. These ketoacids have a positive potential renal acid load, which means they are damaging to the kidneys when they are excreted. As a protective mechanism for the kidneys, parathyroid hormone is released which liberates calcium from our bones, where it can neutralize the acids. The calcium is then excreted alone with the neutralized acid into our urine, and out of our bodies, reducing our bone density.
Please do not assume that biochemistry is based simply on surface level reasoning. There are complex processes that take place in the body that you apparently are not aware of. It is inappropriate to respond with a disrespectful comment when someone who knows what they are talking about took the time to research and write an article to better your health–especially when you don’t know what you are talking about.
Secondly, 300 years ago things were quite different. For starters, the average life expectancy was nearly half of what it is now, and osteoporosis was the least of their worries.
Lastly, in reference to “eating placentas” etc., they are irrelevant to the author’s statement. The things you mentioned are things we grew beyond as we evolved socially to find better alternatives. Drinking other species’ milk, however, is something that we have adapted that is not likely beneficial to us. By your logic we would be better than other species because we fight wars against each other–simply not valid logic.
Open your mind and your eyes, try not to be so judgmental, and use critical thinking before you attack someone who is just trying to help you next time.
Eat and drink what makes you feel AMAZING. If you feel slugish and sick after you drink milk. Then maybe your ass shouldn’t dink it. Duah.
Sage advice!
I thrive on cow’s milk and have since I was a kid. I’m not a big meat eater, so it’s an easy way for me to get my protein.
Well, I’m no nutritionist, but, I can’t agree that milk is pure poison. I’ve been off of dairy products and all things delicious for the past 11 days as part of a liver cleansing program and I have to say that i have never felt so physcally depleted in my life. I’m on a largely “healthy plant based diet” just so you know. I guess the point I’m trying to make here is that just because a great many people suffer adverse effects from eating anything dairy doesn’t make it anathema.
Try blending your plants to make a smoothy. This way you break open their protective pockets to get to the nutrients. We don’t chew our food well enough to break open the pockets of the plants, thus we don’t get the full nutrients. My friend is a body builder who only eats raw foods, mostly greens.
What a joke – Body builder who only eats raw greens…
LOLWUT?
hahaha, truth.
Don’t fall for that hipster vegetarian cleansing diets!
Obvious reason why you feel depleted of energy. If you want to feel good and lose weight I suggest you read up on Paleo and/or read the paleo solution by Rob Wolf.
I was a cow’s milk drinker until my sophomore year of college when I started having issues with anything dairy. Mostly feeling bloated, flatulence, stuff like that, but it wasn’t comfortable. Stopped drinking cow’s milk, but would and still do eat foods with dairy in it on occasion, especially if it’s cheese on pizza or something, because it’s melted and goes down easy. Since 2007, my mom and I have been using Silk Soy Vanilla Soy milk, but we don’t drink it like you’d drink a glass of water. We only use it for coffee. And if you get the Silk Soy Very Vanilla Soy milk, you WILL WANT to drink it like you’d drink a glass of water or regular cow’s milk. It tastes like a vanilla milk shake!! Soy milk is much tastier, in my opinion, than rice milk. But soy protein powder is much more tasteless and harder to get down in post-workout shakes than rice protein powder is. Go figure.