Do you drink milk?
@owlwings (43910)
Cambridge, England
September 7, 2008 9:16am CST
I just got this in an email today. It was part of a longer one but this passage struck me as worth passing on:
[i]Think about it. Baby cows drink cow's milk. Adult cows
don't drink cows milk. Baby monkeys drink monkey milk.
Adult monkeys don't. Baby pigs drink pig milk. Adult pigs
don't.
Baby humans drink cow's milk?
Adult humans drink cow's milk?
Doesn't make much sense, does it?
(Side Note: A study was done recently and an embarrassingly
high percent of young people today don't even know where
their milk comes from! They just know it comes in a
plastic jug. Well youngin's... it comes from cows.)
The average American gets 807 milligrams of calcium daily
from milk. The average Spaniard gets 308 mg a day from
milk; the Brazilian gets 250 mg; the Taiwanese gets 13 mg.
These non-Americans are neither toothless nor are they
lying around immobilized because of repeated bone fractures.
Lots of Americans are, though.
Do you know what country's population suffers from the
most bone fractures due to osteoporosis?
Right! Americans.
Do you also know the population that consumes more milk
and calcium supplements than any other country?
Right again. Americans.
Truth is, the structure of cow's milk blocks the
absorption of most calcium in it as well as a great number
of other vital nutrients.[/i]
What is your opinion of this? Correct or all nonsense?
21 people like this
65 responses
@prinzess1515 (1341)
• United States
7 Sep 08
We are the only species that drinks anothers species milk. I am not really that sure how good it is for us. I don't think we were really meant to eat either but of course most of us do.
3 people like this
@runner0369 (641)
• United States
7 Sep 08
thank you for sharing those findings with us. I used to drink milk and eat dairy products until a chiropractor recommended that I cut dairy from my diet because it is so heavily processed and we were not really intended to drink cows milk anyone, which is much different from human milk. The fact that many countries eat very little dairy and do not have problems with low calcium is very true. So many old people in this country suffer from osteoporosis, especially women, yet these people (at least the ones I know) always drank their milk. My energy level and attitude has increased dramatically since I cut dairy from my diet. I feel so much healthier and my body feels so much happier.
@dolce_vita78 (8062)
• Philippines
13 Sep 08
Hi there owlwings!
I always drink milk. When I was younger, my mom would always remind me about having to drink my glass of milk before I go to sleep at night. I do believe that milk is really great for our body. There are other reasons why people suffer from osteoporosis. I think that the data that shows the relationship between the incidence of osteoporosis and the population that consumes more milk and calcium supplements is just a coincidence.
2 people like this
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
13 Sep 08
Yes, I posted this because I was both puzzled and amused. I don't think it's true but there are several places that say that too much meat protein - an acid diet - can cause the body to excrete calcium. It seems that the body takes calcium from the bones in order to neutralise the acids formed by certain proteins. Casein (a protein found in milk) is one of the culprits.
I think that the excess meat in the American diet is really the cause of osteoporosis. It is unclear just how much protein is really necessary to humans but evidence suggests that most people in developed countries eat far too much meat. Of course, those people also eat more dairy products as well so, as you say, it is coincidence.
It seems that a healthy diet should rely much more on grain and pulse protein - wheat, rice and beans. A little meat, no doubt, is good but by no means necessary.
4 people like this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Sep 08
owlwings I doubt the validity of that statement about
cowssmilk as american moms who cannot nurse are told bytheir doctors to use cows milk. We americans do not like to have brittle bones so yes we do drink milk for its calcium and also take calicium supplements and its proven to make our bones stronger.My take is it is nonsense. someone is forever coming out with dingbat ideas that this food, or that food, is going to kill you and etc etc.. the only thing that I have seen valid statistics on is iron which when you take it with milk or calcium supplement stops the calcium from being absorbed. this comes straight from the American Medical Associations book. Infact I feel this whole study is biased against Americans. great just what we need a bunch of false crap.
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
12 Sep 08
I, too, felt that it was a very poorly presented and information-starved piece of writing. As a result, I have done a little more research and find (from the Vegan Society) that there is evidence that a diet high in meat protein (which, of course, typifies the American and other Western diets) is more likely to lead to calcium excretion.
In fact, this (UK based) page is well worth reading: http://www.vegansociety.com/html/food/nutrition/calcium.php not so much as a promotion for a vegan diet but as a very good and informed discussion on the need for and availability of calcium from sources other than milk.
2 people like this
@jinxky (2248)
• Philippines
8 Sep 08
yeah i still drink milk coz milk is good for our health & good for our bones, i wish i drink milk when i was younger so that i'm more clever now lol
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
12 Sep 08
That is, of course, what we have always been told. Current thinking suggests that there are many problems associated with cow's milk. We can and do get sufficient calcium from many sources and (whole) milk contains far too much fat.
3 people like this
@jacky_crist (14)
• China
8 Sep 08
Thanks for your information, and I like drink milk and acidophilous milk very much.
2 people like this
@owlwings (43910)
• Cambridge, England
12 Sep 08
It seems that it's only necessary to drink milk with Lactobacillus acidophilus in it for about a month after a course of antibiotics (which may kill 'good' bacteria along with the bad ones). While it very likely does no harm to drink acidophilous milk regularly, it isn't necessary ... and it is expensive!
3 people like this
@oriental (1050)
• Uruguay
12 Sep 08
I can't have an opinion yet. I should read more about the subject. I must tell it's not the first time I've heard about it. Some time ago an homeopathist told me just the same example about baby and adult animals. It seems to be a quite reasonable argument.
@chertsy (3798)
• United States
10 Sep 08
My mom hasn't had any bone fractures thankfully from her osteoporosis, but it's not related to her drinking a lot of milk. Actually my mom can't digest any milk or milk products, Nor does my mom take calcium supplements. So drinking milk can't be linked to osteoporosis.
2 people like this
@carla_teamrufs (80)
• Philippines
8 Sep 08
yes sometimes. i really love it though. but unfortunately im lactose intolerant.
@bellaofchaos (11538)
• United States
9 Sep 08
Well I know for myself I don't drink milk that much .. I know my kids are milk drinkers but other than that I could tell you if this is correct or all nonsense. I have no opinion since I don't drink milk. Lactose intolerant is one of the reasons why I don't drink milk LOL!!
2 people like this
@kun2349 (23381)
• Singapore
9 Sep 08
Yup, i do drink milk when i was a kid and the rate i was drinking milk, is far more than i drink plain water.. haha
I dunno why, i just like the taste of milk and it's healthy too, due to the calcium which is good for our teeth and bones ^_^ Other than that, it has got lots of protein too which i need for my workouts..
Even up till now, i still drink milk but only occasionally, unlike the when i was a kid.. hehe
@anneyliu188200 (39)
• China
10 Sep 08
first of all,milk includes a planty of calcium ,protein,and other alimentations which are human being couldn't absent.so milk also called dairy-products.drink milk
every day is very important to health.but it's not the only.human is a very complex biology . so we also need someelse nutritions through eating or drinking.
2 people like this
@kingkiskile (48)
• China
9 Sep 08
Well,I havent drink milk before.And I won't drink it in the future.I know milk is good for people's health.But I just don't want to drink since I heard my dad said milk's smell and taste was weird when I was a child.
2 people like this
@magna86 (1786)
• India
7 Sep 08
well yes daily.. and i drink it twice a day!!! i cannot say no to my mom!! she forces me drink it twice daily!!! its full if calcium!! and its really good for health and moreover women need more calcium than men do.. so even doctors prefer tham!!
i dont know that the facts provided in the mail are true!!! but i have to say this too much of calcium is also not good!!
@strossuss (125)
• Philippines
7 Sep 08
well I don't drink milk, I just don't feel to :) but milk is good for our bones :)
2 people like this
@kamesh_earn (105)
• India
7 Sep 08
Yes i do drink milk you know it is good for our health when drinking milk we will have to take care of the fat. Because it contains a lot of fat. If you drink a lot of milk then definitely fall ill. When you drink milk always drink milks which are boiled because the unboiled milk contains lot of virus and infections. Always it is safe to drink hot milk instead of cold milk.
1 person likes this
@Hatley (163776)
• Garden Grove, California
8 Sep 08
well wings sorry but I just goggled innumerable websites
which say the opposite of your silly email letter.Milk
is a very nutritous food and most americans do not get'enough o f it and these were about fifty or sixty different studies.
no give it up americans know milkis a good food for them.
1 person likes this
