How Milk Consumption can affect your health.
Milk increases the risk of getting Osteoporosis. Vegetarians are less likely to get osteoporosis than non vegetarians.Milk has been advocated as a rich source of calcium. The Harvard Study on Osteoporosis. which followed up 78,000 nurses working in and around Boston over a 12 year period, published in the American Journal of Public Health 1997;87;992-7 found the lowest incidence of osteoporosis in Vegetarian Nurses who rarely drank milk. The highest incidence was found in Non-vegetarian nurses who consumed at least 3 glasses of milk or milk products daily. (200 times more common than in vegetarians).
This effectively set at rest the myth propagated by the dairy industry that drinking milk prevents osteoporosis. Dr. Walter Willett of the Harvard school of Public Health, one of the authors of the study stated that milk because of its high protein content, leaches calcium from the bones leading to osteoporosis. This is because as milk protein is digested it releases large quantities of acid which removes calcium from the bones as the body attempts to buffer the acid. People with milk allergies are usually unable to absorb calcium from milk as the milk irritates the bowels interfering with its absorption.
All green vegetables are rich in calcium and taking 100 grams of any green vegetable is usually enough to satisfy the body's daily calcium requirements in all age groups. Raisins, figs, broccoli, beans, mint, coriander, parsley etc. are all good sources of calcium. In addition calcium absorption from these foods is over 50% as compared to absorption from milk which ranges from 0% in people with milk allergies to a maximum of 32%. After all the cow too gets its Calcium from grass!
In India, osteoporosis is far more prevalent among meat eating races like Punjabi's, Sindhi's and Parsis than in vegetarians like Gujaratis, Jain's and Marwari's. A lack of exercise is also a major predisposing factor for Osteoporosis. Contrary to common belief, lack of calcium in the diet is uncommon and is a very uncommon cause for osteoporosis. Calcium is the fifth most abundant element on earth and is present in adequate quantities in most foods except those which are highly processed.
Get plenty of exercise.Studies have concluded that physical exercise is the key to building strong bones (more important than any other factor). A study published in the British Medical Journal, followed 1,400 men and women over a 15-year period, found that exercise may be the best protection against hip fractures. They concluded that "reduced intake of dietary calcium does not seem to be a risk factor for osteoporosis."
Penn State University researchers found that bone density is significantly influenced by how much exercise girls get during their teen years, when 40 to 50 percent of their skeletal mass is developed. Consistent with previous research, the Penn State study, which was published in Pediatrics (2000), the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, showed that calcium intake, which ranged from 500 to 1,500 mgm per day, has no lasting benefit on bone health.
After looking at 34 published studies in 16 countries, researchers at Yale University found that countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis. including the United States, Sweden, and Finland were those in which people consume the most meat, milk, and other animal foods. This study also showed that African Americans, who consume, on average, more than 1,000 mgm of calcium per day, are nine times more likely to experience hip fractures than are South African blacks, whose daily calcium intake is only 196 mg.
McDougall one of the authors of this study concluded that, "On a nation-by-nation basis, people who consume the most calcium have the weakest bones and the highest rates of osteoporosis. ... Only in those places where calcium and protein are eaten in relatively high quantities does a deficiency of bone calcium exist, due to an excess of animal protein." The conclusion of this study was that eating large quantities of animal protein like meats, eggs & milk products significantly increased the risk of osteoporosis. This happens because these foods release large amounts of acid which remove calcium from the bones.
(Excerpted from the brilliantly referenced guest column written by Bruce Friedrich, director of communications for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). For more information visit http://www.pcrm.org/health/Info_on_Veg_Diets/dairy.html, www.peta.org, &http://www.milksucks.com)
Milk increases the risk of getting Osteoporosis. Vegetarians are less likely to get osteoporosis than non vegetarians.Milk has been advocated as a rich source of calcium. The Harvard Study on Osteoporosis. which followed up 78,000 nurses working in and around Boston over a 12 year period, published in the American Journal of Public Health 1997;87;992-7 found the lowest incidence of osteoporosis in Vegetarian Nurses who rarely drank milk. The highest incidence was found in Non-vegetarian nurses who consumed at least 3 glasses of milk or milk products daily. (200 times more common than in vegetarians).
This effectively set at rest the myth propagated by the dairy industry that drinking milk prevents osteoporosis. Dr. Walter Willett of the Harvard school of Public Health, one of the authors of the study stated that milk because of its high protein content, leaches calcium from the bones leading to osteoporosis. This is because as milk protein is digested it releases large quantities of acid which removes calcium from the bones as the body attempts to buffer the acid. People with milk allergies are usually unable to absorb calcium from milk as the milk irritates the bowels interfering with its absorption.
All green vegetables are rich in calcium and taking 100 grams of any green vegetable is usually enough to satisfy the body's daily calcium requirements in all age groups. Raisins, figs, broccoli, beans, mint, coriander, parsley etc. are all good sources of calcium. In addition calcium absorption from these foods is over 50% as compared to absorption from milk which ranges from 0% in people with milk allergies to a maximum of 32%. After all the cow too gets its Calcium from grass!
In India, osteoporosis is far more prevalent among meat eating races like Punjabi's, Sindhi's and Parsis than in vegetarians like Gujaratis, Jain's and Marwari's. A lack of exercise is also a major predisposing factor for Osteoporosis. Contrary to common belief, lack of calcium in the diet is uncommon and is a very uncommon cause for osteoporosis. Calcium is the fifth most abundant element on earth and is present in adequate quantities in most foods except those which are highly processed.
Get plenty of exercise.Studies have concluded that physical exercise is the key to building strong bones (more important than any other factor). A study published in the British Medical Journal, followed 1,400 men and women over a 15-year period, found that exercise may be the best protection against hip fractures. They concluded that "reduced intake of dietary calcium does not seem to be a risk factor for osteoporosis."
Penn State University researchers found that bone density is significantly influenced by how much exercise girls get during their teen years, when 40 to 50 percent of their skeletal mass is developed. Consistent with previous research, the Penn State study, which was published in Pediatrics (2000), the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, showed that calcium intake, which ranged from 500 to 1,500 mgm per day, has no lasting benefit on bone health.
After looking at 34 published studies in 16 countries, researchers at Yale University found that countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis. including the United States, Sweden, and Finland were those in which people consume the most meat, milk, and other animal foods. This study also showed that African Americans, who consume, on average, more than 1,000 mgm of calcium per day, are nine times more likely to experience hip fractures than are South African blacks, whose daily calcium intake is only 196 mg.
McDougall one of the authors of this study concluded that, "On a nation-by-nation basis, people who consume the most calcium have the weakest bones and the highest rates of osteoporosis. ... Only in those places where calcium and protein are eaten in relatively high quantities does a deficiency of bone calcium exist, due to an excess of animal protein." The conclusion of this study was that eating large quantities of animal protein like meats, eggs & milk products significantly increased the risk of osteoporosis. This happens because these foods release large amounts of acid which remove calcium from the bones.
(Excerpted from the brilliantly referenced guest column written by Bruce Friedrich, director of communications for People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals (PETA). For more information visit http://www.pcrm.org/health/Info_on_Veg_Diets/dairy.html, www.peta.org, &http://www.milksucks.com)