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Milk, Is "Udder" Nonsense

Is cows' milk an appropriate food for humans? The "people" answer, is "of course," but the "person" answer is "no, it is not good for humans." Cows' milk is a species-specific food for calves. It is no more appropriate to drink the milk of cows than it is to drink the milk of other mammals. We do it because we've always done it. It's a "people" thing, and on close inspection, you'll see that all our beliefs about milk are "udder" nonsense. Milk Myth #1: Milk Helps Build Strong Bones American parents pass this myth on to their children, and misguided nutritionists reinforce it. Actually, milk and other dairy products weaken the bones and accelerate osteoporosis. That's right, consumption of milk causes the very condition it's advertised to prevent. As I'll explain in the next story, osteoporosis results from calcium loss, not insufficient calcium intake. And dairy products, because of their high protein content, promote calcium loss. Studies examining the incidence of osteoporosis have found that high consumption of dairy products is associated with high rates of osteoporosis. If you want strong bones, don't drink milk. LMilk Myth #2: Milk Is the Ultimate Health Drink The notion that milk is healthy for you is, again, "udder" nonsense. While eating fruits, vegetables and whole grains has been documented to lower the risk of heart attack. high blood pressure and cancer, the widely touted health benefits of dairy products are questionable! at best. In fact, dairy products are clearly linked as a cause of osteoporosis, heartldisease, obesity, cancer, allergies and diabetes. Dairy products are anything but "health" foods. The association with heart disease is particularly strong. While we've always known that high-fat dairy products, such as whole milk and cheese, are significant contributors to high cholesterol levels and heart disease, William B. Grant, Ph.D., summarizes the mounting evidence that nonfat milk is also a major player in bringing on heart disease. Writing in Alternative Medicine Review, Dr. Grant points out that nonfat milk, which con- tains substantial amounts of dairy protein, is very low in B vitamins. The metabolism of all this protein in the absence of B vitamins contributes to, the buildup of homocysteine, a marker for heart disease. (See the story on heart disease on page 6.) Milk Myth #3: Milk Is Necessary for Growing Children Oh, really? Here are three reasons kids and milk don't mix. First, milk is the leading cause of iron-deficiency anemia in infants, and, in fact, the American Academy of Pediatrics now discourages giving children milk before their first birthday. Second, it has been shown that milk consumption in childhood contributes to the development of type I diabetes. Certain proteins in milk resemble molecules on the beta cells of the pancreas that secrete insulin. In some cases the immune system makes antibodies to the milk protein that mistakenly attack and destroy the beta cells. Third, milk allergies are very common in children and cause sinus problems, diarrhea, constipation, and fatigue. They are a leading cause of the chronic ear infections that plague up to 40% of all children under the age of six. Milk allergies are also linked to behavior problems in children and to the disturbing rise in childhood asthma. (Milk allergies are equally common in adults and produce similar symptoms.) Even so august an authority on children as the late Dr. Benjamin Spock changed his recommendations in his later years and discouraged giving children milk. Milk Myth #4: Milk Is Pure and Wholesome As if milk weren't bad enough already, the chemical giant, Monsanto Company, and the FDA have made it far worse. In 1994 the FDA approved the use of recombinant bovine somatotropin (rBST) , a genetically engineered hormone from Monsanto that increases milk production in cows by 10 to 25%. Milk from cows treated with rBST contains elevated levels of insulin-like growth factor-l (IGF-1) , one of the most powerful growth factors ever identified.

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