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Milk and Health

Milk and Health

Not to be outdone by Johns Hopkins, Harvard Medical Group also published a review in the New England Journal of Medicine about milk and health. 

They start out by “stating the obvious” that the natural function of milk is to nourish and promote the growth of young mammals, not mature ones.  They go on to question the current dietary recommendation of three 8-ounce servings of milk/milk product per day. 

Because cows are bred for high milk production and because they are pregnant during most of the time they are milked, they produce high levels of insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1) and high levels of estrogen and other hormones. 

Exposure to IGF-1 and other hormones has been linked to a greater risk for certain cancers: breast, ovarian, uterus and prostate. 

Cow milk intake has been correlated with the development of diabetes, especially type 1 diabetes owing to cross reactivity between dairy proteins and pancreatic islet cells. 

A long-standing rationale for promoting lifelong milk consumption is to meet calcium requirements for bone health.  The concept is good but the practical outcome is the opposite.  Hundreds of scientific studies show that countries with the greatest milk intake have the poorest bone density.  Yes, milk is rich in calcium, but it also contains certain proteins that leach away the mineral content of our bones.  Countries with the lowest milk intake paradoxically have the best bone health.  Cow milk is also the most common cause for food allergy, at least in Western countries. 

Finally, there is the “fart” issue.  As hard as it seems to believe, the methane produced due to the large industrial scale of milk production is having a measurable effect on green house gases.  The Harvard group calculated that obtaining our protein from alternative sources such as soy, legumes, and grains rather than from milk would reduce global greenhouse gases by 10 percent.  

Got Milk?

Got Milk?

By:  Sasha Klemawesch, MD

If you are a dairy lover who is also unfortunately lactose intolerant (and therefore, dependent on taking Lactaid capsules every time you want to eat some cheese or drink a milkshake), good news!  You may be able to scrap those pills!

Studies have shown that lactose intolerant patients who have regularly consumed dairy products (aided by Lactaid capsules), are often able to stop the pills after a few years.  Because they were partaking in dairy on a regular basis, the bacteria in their gut microbiome evolved to accommodate the milk, yogurt, etc.  Once the flora in your GI tract adjusts, the bacteria themselves can take over digesting the lactose, so even though the patient is still technically lactose intolerant, their microbiome has taken over the job that the Lactaid caps were doing and they’re now able to go out for ice cream without taking their medicine along with them.

Milk — Aged wisdom for modern dilemma

Milk — Aged wisdom for modern dilemma

Dear Dr. K: My chiropractor told me too much milk might actually weaken my bones. I’ve always heard milk is good for teeth and bones. Could he be right?

Actually, he is right. The whole cow milk and health issue has a convoluted history. It dates back to the Great Depression when many Americans were starving and rickets was common. The Federal government stepped in and subsidized the dairy farmers so that milk could be both available and cheap. It also mandated the addition of vitamin D to the milk.

The inexpensive milk allowed Americans to have a ready source of calories, protein and vitamin D which was a true Godsend.

In today’s world, most Americans are not starving and so what was of help in one context has gradually become too much of a good thing.

It’s true that cow milk is a rich source of calcium, but it also contains certain peptides and lectins that actually bind to and remove our existing calcium. If milk intake is high it actually leads to a net reduction in total body calcium.

Last year the British Medical Journal published a 20-year study of 100,000 people. They found a significantly higher risk of fractures in people who drank three or more glasses of milk a day, compared to those whose intake was less.

Studies on Asian-Americans and African-Americans show that their bone density was not as good on the cow-milk rich American diet as their ethnic counterparts living in Asia/Africa, and not consuming so much cow milk.

Cow milk is also the most common cause of food allergy. Also, even in people who are not allergic to milk, it tends to increase nasal and bronchial mucus production.

Finally, cow milk contains D-galactose which induces inflammation in the body. D-galactose has been shown to worsen some forms of arthritis, and to contribute to the development of diabetes and cardiovascular disease.

So, the old, familiar maxim probably applies here: “Everything in moderation.”

Allergy vs. lactose intolerance

Allergy vs. lactose intolerance

Dear Dr. K:  I’m pretty sure I’m allergic to milk because it always gives me gas and diarrhea, but my allergy test to milk was negative.  What gives?

In all likelihood you have lactose intolerance due to lactase deficiency.  Lactose is the carbohydrate milk sugar which is a disaccharide “two-sugar”.  It consists of the monosaccharide glucose bound to the mono-saccharide galactose.  Unlike the bovine intestinal track which can absorb disaccharides, the human intestines can only absorb monosaccharides. 

Lactase is the enzyme found on the brush border in the intestines where the two sugars split, and lactose intolerance occurs when there is a complete or partial absence of the lactase enzyme.

Later symptoms will occur when the amount of lactose ingested exceeds the amount of enzyme present. 

When sugars are not broken down and absorbed in the intestine they hit the bacteria-filled colon where they are fermented.  This process of fermentation leads to gas and intestinal irritability.

In most people lactase deficiency is partial and therefore they can tolerate modest amounts of lactose.  Also, lactase enzyme is available as an over-the-counter, self-help remedy to be taken with any cow milk product.  To be successful, the dose of “lactaid” has to be titrated to the lactose load present in the meal.