Milk-Doing your body Good?

From the "Got Milk" campaign to get people to drink more milk, to the "Not Milk" campaign decrying the benefits of milk, claims surrounding milk consumption are constantly debated. Milk producers advocate the benefits of calcium, vitamin D, and other nutrients, while detractors mention possible links to cancer or other diseases.

The Calcium Content of Milk
A large part of the ongoing milk advertisement campaign seeks to persuade people to drink milk for its calcium content. Indeed, calcium comprises a crucial aspect of human health. Not only is calcium needed for muscle contraction, but calcium lends to our bone structure, bone recovery (re-calcification), and bone health as well.

Lactose Intolerance
Unfortunately, milk and milk products cause an estimated 50% of the adult population's uncomfortable bloating, gas, cramping and diarrhea. Lactose intolerance can result from two things: either through a natural enzyme deficiency, which prevents the body from digesting milk sugars, or through an allergy to milk itself. The amount of lactase, the intestinal enzyme responsible for the digestion of lactose, the sugar found in milk, typically declines naturally after weaning, unless the body is genetically predisposed to produce more lactase.
What risks come with drinking milk from cows injected with recombinant Bovine Growth Hormone (rBGH)?
When Ben and Jerry's Ice Cream decided not to use milk from cows injected with Monsanto's rBGH, many consumers became more conscious of what was in their food and milk products. Many dairy producers use rBGH as a way to increase milk production in their cows, resulting in up to 20% more production. However, the hormone causes udder inflammation in cows, which can lead to the contamination of the milk from secreted pus common in udder inflammation.

Also, antibiotics used to treat inflammation have been discovered in trace amounts in the milk. Such contamination leads many people to wonder whether milk is safe for daily human consumption.

In addition, milk produced by rBGH-treated cows has higher concentrations of insulin-like growth-factor-1 (IGF-1). Higher levels of IGF-1 have been indicated as a potential risk factor in prostate cancer.

Milk Essential for Women

For the prevention of osteoporosis, a high calcium intake is recommended especially for women. It is recommended that a daily intake of low fat milk or skim milk with 2 glasses per day can give the women sufficient levels of calcium especially if taken regularly during the premenopausal state.
A calcium deficiency may raise the likelihood of advanced breast cancer spreading to your bones.
According to researchers at the ANZAC Research Institute in Concord, Australia, approximately 70% of patients with advanced breast cancer have secondary tumors in their bone.It turned out there were significantly more cancer cells when the diet was low in calcium. The total proportion of bone penetrated by cancer was higher, too.
The scientists believe that older women are especially vulnerable to these effects. They often have calcium deficiencies due to low calcium in their diets or due to vitamin D deficiencies.
Conclusion
Milk plays an important role in many diets today.We have grown so comfortable consuming milk and eating milk products that many do not give a second thought to the possible positive and negative effects of milk. Overall, milk does do a body good.

The negative side effects of milk are due mainly to the over-consumption of milk products beyond the recommended daily allowance of 3 8-oz glasses of milk. Consumers must be aware of both the pros and cons of drinking milk.


Courtesy:
That Health Rules
Journal of Young Investors

Bipasha

Thanks Bipasha for this useful information, we also came to know that Vitamin D3 is added to milk, which is an extracted lanolin from sheep's wool, even Vit.D2 is available which is taken from plants.
They say that Vitamin D3 is structed as of steroids, cholesterol, etc.

sriniketan