The Cow's Milk Controversy
It Ain't What it Used to Be!
Many consumer advocates and scientists now question the long-held wisdom of regular milk consumption. Some even believe milk poses substantial health risks to humans. Why are their views changing, and if we’re not drinking milk to build strong bones, what are our alternatives? Shawn Nisbet brings some common sense to this controversial issue.
Drink your milk so you’ll grow up with strong, healthy bones. Remember that? We never questioned it. Our parents, grandparents, teachers and the media told us repeatedly that milk was a healthy food. Milk contained calcium to build strong bones, we were told, as well as vitamin D and other beneficial nutrients. But do we really need to drink milk to build strong bones – or are there other approaches we can take?
The bottom line is that the milk we drink today is different from the milk our grandparents drank, and for this simple reason, it may not be as beneficial to our health as it once was. Over the years, the composition of milk has changed. Yes, it still contains water, protein, fat, minerals, vitamins, lactose and enzymes. But unfortunately, today the balance of these ingredients depends on what a cow eats, the lactation cycle, the number of lactations, and how the milk is processed – that is, whether it is pasteurized or homogenized.
Most milk sold in grocery stores is pasteurized, and during the pasteurization process bacteria and pathogens that may be harmful to our health are destroyed. But some people feel that raw, unpasteurized milk tastes better and is more nutritious.
Pasteurization: what does it do?
While the pasteurization process kills potentially dangerous bacteria, such as listeria, E. Coli and salmonella, it also kills off harmless and useful bacteria such as lactobacillus acidophilus. The beneficial bacteria originally present in milk are active enzymes that help our digestion and assimilation of nutrients. These bacteria are important for the manufacture of vitamins B1, B6, B12 and K. This is not to say you should or should not drink raw milk. Controversy surrounds this issue. This is simply to reiterate the fact that the milk we drink today differs from that of years ago.
Quality versus quantity
The quality of the milk we drink depends on the quality of the food a cow eats. A cow’s natural diet is grass, but most herds in commercial dairies today are fed grain which could consist of corn, soy and perhaps animal by-products.
Most organic dairy cows are grass-fed. When a cow is fed or grazes on grass, the fat composition of their milk is said to be healthier for human consumption. This fat may help to raise good cholesterol, lower triglycerides and reduce inflammation.
Milk: protection against osteoporosis?
Some experts question the necessity of cow’s milk for the prevention of osteoporosis (weakened bones). Dairy products may not be an ideal source of calcium, simply because the protein in milk may cause calcium to leach out of our bones.
Ironically, epidemiological research shows that populations throughout the world with the highest rate of osteoporosis (which includes Canada and the USA) also consume the highest amount of dairy foods. Populations who do not drink milk, but get their calcium from plant sources, have extremely low rates of osteoporosis.
Close to 40% of the world’s population (15% of Caucasians) lack the enzyme lactase, meaning they are unable to digest lactose, the sugar in milk, and have adverse reactions to milk products.
Dr. Walter Willett, author of Eat, Drink and Be Healthy: The Harvard Medical School Guide to Healthy Eating, writing in Science, states, “Adult populations with low fracture rates generally consume few dairy products. Milk and other dairy products may not be directly equivalent to calcium from supplements.”
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