In this blog post, we will look at the nutritional value of milk and examine various reasons why claims that milk is harmful are exaggerated and biased.
A long time ago, the world was turned upside down when opinions emerged that milk, which had been known as a complete food, was harmful to the human body. Among them, the controversial book Lait, Mensonges et Propagande presents various reasons why milk should not be consumed. However, the claims in this book are exaggerated, biased, and based on insufficient evidence.
First, let’s find out why milk is called a complete food. Milk is rich in calcium, which is beneficial for growing children and effective in preventing osteoporosis. It also helps prevent dementia and is known to be good for health and weight loss because it is rich in other nutrients besides calcium. Now, let’s look at the arguments of those who oppose milk and refute them.
First, opponents of milk claim that the benefits of milk are the result of excessive marketing. There has clearly been lobbying by dairy farmers and marketing by milk producers, and milk producers in the UK in particular have been very successful in marketing milk as an essential food, like water, by supplying it to schools. However, it is unreasonable to consider the recognition of milk as a complete food to be merely the result of marketing. If milk were not beneficial to nutrition or were harmful, it would not have been recognized as a complete food. In the past, when nutrition was difficult to obtain, milk was a valuable food that provided various nutrients. Today, nutrition is relatively easy to obtain, so milk may not be as valuable as it once was, but the fact that milk is a healthy food remains unchanged. This has been proven through numerous experiments.
Second, it has been claimed that milk is not effective in preventing osteoporosis and actually weakens bones. Bones are kept healthy through the balance between osteoblasts and osteoclasts. Milk contains proteins that induce osteoblast proliferation and an important factor called IGF-1, which helps bone growth and regeneration. Lait, Mensonges et Propagande acknowledges this, but argues that drinking a lot of milk from childhood actually causes osteoporosis. The reason osteoporosis occurs in old age is because MSCs, the stem cells that produce osteoblasts, age and the number of osteoblasts decreases. This book argues that drinking a lot of milk in childhood causes MSCs to age faster, promoting osteoporosis. This seems like a convincing argument, but it is an exaggerated interpretation. This is only true if you drink enough milk to accelerate the aging of MSCs. Just as all foods are poisonous if consumed in excess, milk can help prevent osteoporosis when consumed in moderation, but excessive consumption can actually be harmful. A Swedish study published in the British Medical Journal in 2014 also found that the higher the milk intake, the higher the mortality and hip fracture rates, but even in this study, one or two glasses of milk a day were found to actually reduce mortality and fracture rates. In other words, milk is beneficial to health when consumed in moderation, and excessive consumption is the problem. In addition, since hip fractures are often caused by external impacts such as traffic accidents and falls, it is difficult to discuss a direct link with milk consumption.
Third, there is also a claim that milk causes cancer. Drinking two or more glasses of milk a day can increase blood IGF-1 levels, which can cause cancer. However, a university professor refuted this claim, saying that the IGF-1 concentration in milk is very low and cannot cause cancer. No matter how much milk you consume, the IGF-1 concentration in the body does not increase significantly, and milk actually contains functional fatty acids that help prevent cancer. IGF-1 is composed of proteins and is broken down into amino acids during digestion, so it does not accumulate in the body to the extent that it causes cancer. On the contrary, IGF-1 is an essential substance for the body and plays many roles that are beneficial to health, not just tumor cell proliferation. Opponents of milk are spreading false logic by emphasizing only the side effects of IGF-1.
Fourth, there is also a claim that milk actually causes disease. Examples include milk alkalosis syndrome and lactose intolerance. Milk alkalosis syndrome is hypercalcemia that occurs when excessive amounts of high-calcium foods are consumed. However, considering the recommended daily intake of calcium, one glass of milk is only one-third of the recommended amount. In addition, there are many other foods that we consume daily that are high in calcium, so it is difficult to single out milk as the problem. Lactose intolerance is caused by a deficiency of the enzyme that breaks down lactose, which can be improved by consuming dairy products in moderation.
Fifth, opponents of milk argue that the milk production process is unsanitary and unreliable. They argue that milk produced in an environment where cows are fed only feed and cannot move is unhealthy. However, the same is true for meat. If you do not drink milk for unsanitary reasons, you should not eat meat or eggs either. Dairy farming and livestock farming follow strict legal standards, and milk from cows undergoes a thorough management process before being delivered to consumers. Therefore, the claim that the milk production process is harmful to health is unfounded.
According to studies conducted to date, the overwhelming majority of studies show that milk is beneficial to the human body. Upon closer examination, most claims that milk is harmful are based on problems that arise from excessive consumption. All foods can be harmful if consumed in excess. Therefore, it is advisable to consume milk in moderation and not be misled by claims that it is harmful to the human body.
