Got Milk? I hope not! It’s amazing how companies pay celebrities to entice the public into consuming their products. Then you think, well, if Brooke Shields is drinking milk, it must be good for me! NOT! Most people are hungry for nutritional information but don’t always get the “true” source of information needed to make the right choices. I have been a health advocate for over 20 years, and I have found how vitally important it is to seek the best, most well researched information out there. And I can tell you this, it’s NOT in advertising! In today’s world, it comes down to personal research and common sense. There is the food industry propaganda, and their bottom line is selling product and increasing profits, even if it comes down to false advertising. This will continue to go on. That is why it is up to you as a consumer, to get wise, and get healthy! In this article, I will share “The Truth About Dairy“.
There is a book that I highly recommend you read. It is called, The China Study, by T. Colin Campbell PhD. It is the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted. The China Study redefines what we think of as good nutrition and proves that eating right can save your life. Dr. Campbell has compelling results from his 4 decades of biomedical research, including the findings from a 27 year laboratory program proving that you can turn cancer on and off with a slightly higher percentage of casein in the diet. (Casein is a protein present in milk). The China Study is one of the most well researched, informative and educational books I have ever had the pleasure of reading.
The truth about dairy is that too much of it can cause;
Obesity
Cancer
Heart disease
Diabetes
Allergies and Asthma
Osteoporosis
And has been linked to Multiple Sclerosis(MS),
Parkinson’s, and a slew of other diseases.
Dairy products are high in cholesterol and fat and contain no fiber. Dairy has a food composition that almost no reasonable person believes is healthy for human consumption. Cow’s milk was meant to grow a 90lb baby calf into a several hundred pound cow in less than 2 years. Mammals in their natural habitat do not consume the milk of other types of mammals. Only we humans do, and into adulthood. We are lead to believe that dairy products are necessary for providing calcium and building strong bones. In countries where osteoporosis is virtually non-existent (Asia and African cultures), dairy consumption is also virtually non-existent. People in the U.S consume more dairy products than almost any other population on earth, yet osteoporosis continues to increase. How can this be? Well, I’ll show you…..
A group of researchers from Harvard University, led by Diane Feskanish and Walter Willet MD, conducted studies funded by the National Institute of Health and the USDA. Their results were published in the June 1997 issue of the American Journal of Public Health. This study involved 77,761 female participants between the ages of 34-59 who were studied for 12 years. In all, 17 comparisons were published with dairy use examined in 13 of them. In 9 of these comparisons, a higher fracture rate was found for the maximum dairy consuming group. Women who consumed more than 550mg of calcium per day, had nearly twice the fracture rate as did women whose daily consumption of calcium was less than 175mg of calcium.
Another study funded by the dairy industry was published in 1985 in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition. In this study, a control group consumed a typical American diet, with test subjects consuming the same diet, with the addition of 3 extra glasses of milk per day. After one year, the increased milk group was losing 17mg of calcium per day, net loss.
Researchers from Yale University authored a study summarizing data on protein intake and fracture rate that was extracted from 34 studies in 16 countries. This research was published in 29 peer reviewed journals. The conclusion was that 70% of the fracture rates were attributable to the consumption of animal protein (The China Study page 205). The reason is that the consumption of animal protein increases the acid load of the body. Since the body seeks to achieve alkalinity, it draws on it’s calcium store to neutralize the acidity. The largest and most accessible storage for calcium is the BONES! According to Dr. Campbell, the concept of animal protein increasing acid load was suggested in the 1880’s and was documented in the 1920’s (The China Study pg 205). We have chosen to ignore the evidence while the dairy industry continues to promote milk as being beneficial to bone health.
In 1992, Dr. Benjamin Spock announced that studies had linked anemia and childhood diabetes to milk consumption in infants. In 1994, the American Academy of Pediatrics reported that 90 studies had been completed and that there was a link between milk and diabetes.
A study published in the American Journal of Epidemiology concluded that consuming dairy products significantly boots the risk of Parkinson’s disease in men. You see, milk is pasteurized in order to remove unhealthy bacteria, but this process also removes the nutritional value of the milk. Homogenization is an unhealthy process and is widely suspected to be the primary reason why processed milk products have been linked to heart disease and other cardiovascular problems. It is a process that splits fat molecules into tiny pieces allowing fat to stay in suspension in the milk liquid and preventing separation of the fat. These manufacturing processes impact the molecular structure of milk, and may help explain why milk products have been found to promote Parkinson’s disease.
A greater concern is the link between milk and cancer. This is believed to be related to insulin-like growth factor (IGF-1), a peptide that circulates in the blood and influences growth and other functions. While it is healthy to have some IGF-1 in the blood, at higher levels it appears to stimulate the growth of cancer cells. According to studies of populations published in the Journal of National Cancer Institute, the more IGF-1 in a man’s blood, the higher his risk of prostate cancer.
Now, lets take a look at what is given to the cow. Recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone is a genetically engineered hormone that is given to cows to increase their milk production, thus increasing the profits of the dairy industry. Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH) accelerates the development of IGF-1. IGF-1 and rBGH increase cell division which can lead to breast, prostate or colon cancer. Look at it this way, if a cows life is shortened by 20 years when injected with BGH, what can that do to your life???? And what about young boys and girls who are physically developing too soon. Their bodies skip the adolescence stage and go right into a mature, developed adult..
The biggest users of antibiotic drugs are the meat and dairy industries. 52 drugs are used to treat mastitis in cows alone. According to Consumer’s Union, only 30 of these drugs are approved by the FDA. Drug residues end up in cow’s milk. It is estimated that 1/3 of all milk products are contaminated with antibiotic residue. Additionally, pesticides from feed grains are absorbed into the milk. Many of these chemicals are fat-soluble and mimic estrogen in the body. The general accounting office recently concluded that the FDA does not know if the milk supply is safe or not.
Low-fat and fat-free dairy products have had all the fat removed, which increases the concentration of protein. The milk proteins can be potentially more harmful than the fat.
Researchers have linked an increase of juvenile diabetes to the consumption of cow’s milk by infants. The cause is the creation of antibodies for peptides of bovine serum albumin, a cow’s milk protein. The amino acid chains that make up this protein, resemble the amino acid chains on the pancreatic cells that produce insulin, and it is believed that one of the causes of juvenile diabetes is that the antibodies to the milk proteins attack the pancreatic cells. This a is a biochemical phenomenon known as molecular mimicry. Bottom line is that cow’s milk is not easily digested by the human body. If you are a mother with child or you plan on having a baby, your best option is to breast feed. If for some reason that is not possible, then Goat’s milk is the next best. The protein in goat’s milk is more easily digested. If you are looking for a milk source for cereal, coffee, shakes etc.. try Rice Milk, Almond Milk or Coconut Milk.
Osteoporosis is NOT a calcium deficiency disease. It is a myth that dairy products are the best source of calcium. Plant foods are a rich source of calcium that the body can make better use of. Some excellent sources are:
Kale….Bok Choy….Broccoli….Cabbage….Spinach….also, Beans….Raw Nuts and Seeds…., Grains, Fresh Fruit, Dried Fruit, and Vegetables. The calcium in these foods are easily absorbed into the body.
There are lifestyle choices that will drain the calcium from the bones. These are;
1) Tobacco
2) Caffeine intake
3) Alcohol consumption
4) Soft Drinks that contain phosphorus acid (soda). The body maintains a 1 to 1 ratio of calcium and phosphorus. Soft drinks raise phosphorus levels in the blood. The body releases calcium from the bones to adjust the ratio in the blood stream.
5) Over consumption of Meat and Dairy Foods (They are high phosphorus foods).
6) Refined Salt
7) Antacids – neutralize hydrochloric acid needed for calcium absorption. Some antacids contain aluminum, which also increases loss of calcium.
Excess protein consumption, particularly animal protein
9) Insufficient Exercise
10) Lack of Sunlight
“In 1930, the first study was published that in humans, a diet with a high meat content, caused the loss of large amounts of calcium and a negative calcium balance. And yet, all these years later, our learned medical authorities are still pondering the cause of osteoporosis” ( John McDougal M.D).
“The Truth About Dairy” is simple, MILK DOES NOT DO YOUR BODY ANY GOOD! The research is there so take heed. Pick up a copy of The China Study and get educated on what is considered to be the most comprehensive study of nutrition ever conducted.
Editor’s Note: For those interested in purchasing The China Study, I did some fast googling and learned that this $24.95 book is available for $11.02 ($5.89 for paperback) and free shipping. Just go to www.discountbooksale.com