Certain point of time in life, it so happens similar events keep occurring and no one takes a note, and even if one does, it gets chalked down to coincidence. Only to find out the hidden agenda or the big reveal linking them later. On the same lines, you might have noticed our recent indulgence with dairy (not intentionally) and this has also led to a startling discovery. The general consensus says milk is good, but is it really? Do we need to continue drinking milk beyond the formative years for good health? All these questions have been thrown in the light as few researches claiming the opposite have broken the ground.
Now, let’s establish that milk is definitely bad news for people who are lactose intolerant and/or people suffering from milk allergy (yes they are both different, and yup people are actually allergic to milk). But what about the rest of us?
Let’s address the elephant in the room first, the most damaging research that shook the foundation of milk and turned it into a leaky fountain, is the 12 year-long study conducted on women and men, to establish whether drinking milk helps keep bones strong and avoid osteoporosis. Per this study they found that women who drank a glass or less per day (of milk) had lesser number of fractures and mortality rate as compared to the ones who drank three or more glasses per day. This as you can imagine contradicts our standard belief that milk (calcium) helps keeping bones strong. There are many possible reasons behind the same, one of them is that certain proteins (milk) produce acid within our bodies and calcium is required to break them. And when our body requires calcium it is taken from our bones to meet the requirement, hence instead of fortifying our bones it leads to them being left weak. Could also be because of the sugar present in them lactose and galactose.
A few other researches have hinted at a correlation between more milk leading to increased chances of prostate cancer in men and ovarian cancer in women. Let me assure you nothing is proven, it was just considered a probability.
Milk is also being berated now for causing weight gain, obesity in children and adults and saturated fats causing heart woes, but there are always non-fat and low-fat options.
There are also studies that show that dairy products can lead to acne or skin problems like eczema. In some cases, they may irritate such conditions even further. This one is still more conclusive than others.
There is also the fact that no other mammal except humans continue drinking milk after growing up. Milk is only required by babies, which you kind of have to agree with. But then humans don’t really follow animal patterns.
There is also the fact that to raise production cows/buffaloes are fed with hormones, antibiotics, and through milk, such things find a way in our systems as well. This you can’t deny.
Phew, seems like a long list. So what’s the conclusion, the truth is that still more evidence is required before such claims can be made, asking to ban the milk, for causing bone damage or cancers. Other factors can be managed on an individual basis, and by opting for better options and controlling the quantity.
I am not a fan of milk either, but I don’t like things being judged too quickly only to result in a loss to you. “The hurrier I go, the behinder I get.”