- Bone fractures in older adults due to osteoporosis are highest in areas that consume more dairy, animal protein, and calcium.
- It doesn’t even take excessive amounts of dairy to increase the risk of breast cancer.
For a long time, milk has been considered an important source of nutrients but the drink is probably not the superfood it is thought to be.
Milk is generally a good source of calcium, as well as protein and other nutrients like vitamin D and potassium.
Cow’s milk is a daily staple for many people but while a popular drink, recent studies suggest it may have harmful effects on the body.
Other research, however, points out its health benefits.
Numerous alarming studies have linked dairy to various cancers.
Christopher Gardner, a professor and nutrition researcher from the Stanford Prevention Research Center in the US notes that one can get calcium from many other foods other than milk.
“What are the unique nutrients that dairy has that nothing else has? Nothing,” Gardner posed.
He however says people should not rush to dump milk but maintains that there are risks that come from drinking it excessively.
Ludwig and Harvard University endocrinologist Walter Willett says milk may not be the magic bullet for strong bones as once thought.
In his review in the New England Journal of Medicine, Willet said countries that tend to consume the highest amounts of milk and calcium also have the highest rates of hip fractures.
The Journal said one recent study shows it doesn’t even take excessive amounts of dairy to increase the risk of breast cancer.
It added that multiple studies have shown that the risk of prostate cancer is even greater.
Meanwhile, risks of these and other cancers, even skin cancer, are shown to be decreased simply by eating more fruits and vegetables.
Drinking three or more glasses of milk a day is said to increase the risk of bone fractures in women.
Research Trusted Source found that this may be due to a sugar called D-galactose in milk.
However, the study did explain that further research is needed before dietary recommendations are made.
Another study by Trusted Source showed that bone fractures in older adults due to osteoporosis are highest in areas that consume more dairy, animal protein, and calcium.
Cow’s milk is also said to contribute to lactose intolerance. Milk has a higher amount of lactose than milk from other animals. It is estimated that 65 to 70 per cent of the world’s population has some form of lactose intolerance.
Another study found that teenagers with acne drank higher amounts of low fat or skim milk. Dairy may also trigger adult acne.
Acne has also been linked to skim and low fat milk. This may be due to milk’s influence on certain hormones, including insulin and insulin-like growth factor-1 (IGF-1).
Scientists, however, say more research is needed to explore the diet-acne connection.
Aside from the health risk to individuals, milk is a big contributor to climate change. Animal agriculture is a leader in greenhouse gas emissions, and the worst offenders are beef and dairy production.
Cows generate vast amounts of methane, which heats the atmosphere 86 times faster than carbon dioxide and nitrous oxide.