Abstract
Even though most Western people rely on dairy products for a healthy diet every day, many recent studies have challenged the long-established belief that milk is safe for human consumption. On the contrary, new research articles have shown that dairy products are unhealthy, being specifically destined to feed the offspring from the same species. The fact that humans continue to consume milk long after weaning exposes them to health problems on the long term. The hormones found in milk may cause several forms of cancer, while the high fat content may be partially responsible for the development of heart problems. Last but not least, lactose is not well-tolerated after the first years of childhood, and this can lead to digestive problems. While milk is treasured for the high calcium content, people often are unaware that many other food products are rich in calcium. Milk and other dairy products are harmful for human beings and increasing the awareness of the population in this respect is essential for reducing the incidence of cancer and other dangerous diseases.
The Negative Effects of Milk Consumption
Milk has been an extremely popular dietary choice for people in most Western countries, including the United States of America, for many centuries. This is because humans have considered dairy products to be essential sources of calcium. In addition, milk has a pleasant taste it is essential in many recipes and is considered a rich and nutritious drink. Even though nutritionists and physicians have praised milk for its health benefits, recent research has showed that milk may not be as healthy and safe for human consumption as it has been believed to be. Increasingly, many researchers have come to the conclusion that cow milk is only appropriate for calves, in the same way that maternal milk is appropriate for humans. This conclusion was based on the observation that, in no other mammal species except for humans and the domestic cat, is milk consumed after the weaning period (Oski 1996). This fact in itself is not in itself a problem but rather, it explains why milk is not appropriate for human consumption, despite the fact that most Westerners consume it. Despite the fact that milk is believed to be good for humans, drinking milk can actually be harmful to human health, because it contains harmful hormones, it has high fat levels, and because humans cannot digest lactose after the breast-feeding period is over.
Cow milk contains hormones, which are extremely dangerous, having been associated with different forms of cancer. Milk which can be typically bought from the supermarket contains a large amount of artificial hormones. However, even in the case of unaltered products, naturally occurring hormones are dangerous (Barnard 2007). Bernard explained in this respect that, “the combination of nutrients found in both organic and non-organic cow’s milk increases our own production of some types of hormones. These hormones have been shown to increase the risk of some forms of cancer” (Barnard 2007, n.p.). Recent studies have shown that this idea is worthy of consideration. In an article, Davaasambuu (2006) showed that, the rising death rates from prostate cancer are directly related to the increasing dairy consumption in Japan. Thus, while 50 years ago the death rates from prostate cancer was 0 per 100,000, today, it has increased to 7 per 100, 000 (Davaasambuu 2006). This shows a strong correlation between cancer and the consumption of milk and dairy products.
Apart from the risk of cancer, the high fat contents found in cow milk is responsible for the increase of the cholesterol level, the main cause of several extremely dangerous diseases, including coronary heart disease (CHD). Several studies have demonstrated a strong relationship between milk consumption and death from CHD. Moss (2002) argued “countries which reduced milk consumption later had reduced rates of CHD death, while the only country studied which increased its milk consumption [Portugal] had an increased rate of CHD death” (n.p). It is clear thus that, the high level of fat found in milk is dangerous for health, and regular consumption of dairy products, particularly with high fat content, is likely to lead to heart disease in time. Even if it does not produce immediate health effects, and its negative effect is most often ignored, this danger is particularly high as Westerners consume several types of dairy products throughout the day, and most often they do not even realize it.
Furthermore, one important aspect that must be considered in relation to this topic is the effect of lactose over the human organism. Lactose is an essential and very controversial component of mil. As one researcher showed, “the naturally occurring sugar in cow's milk is lactose, a type of sugar that is not well-digested by many children after about age 4” (Lanou 2007, n.p.). Lactose is not well-digested by older children and adults, because the capacity of digesting lactose is lost after beast-feeding age. However, most parents continue to offer milk to children after this age, and many adults also consume it daily. As a result, children and even adults may have different digestive problems. These problems may remain undiagnosed for a long period of time, since milk consumption is rarely considered as a negative factor in children’s health.
Giving up milk is not easy for most people, who believe that this product is essential for ensuring a balanced level of calcium in the organism, but this is an incorrect assumption. Historical evidence suggests that people thrived without milk in the past. Thus, “up to 10,000 years ago no humans consumed cow's milk yet the archaeological record shows that our ancestors, in common with our ape relatives, maintained excellent bone health without having to steal milk from the children of other mammals to do so” (Walsh 2001, n.p.). Instead of consuming milk, our ancestors relied on plants for calcium and other essential nutrients. Besides, even today, there are many peoples, particularly in Asia, who do not consume dairy products, and still enjoy perfect health.
Therefore, as shown throughout this paper, far from being safe for human consumption, milk and dairy products are dangerous and can cause extremely serious health problems. Particularly when consumed over long periods of time and in high quantities, milk can lead to such diseases as cancer, coronary heart disease or lactose intolerance. Even though it is considered essential in a balanced diet, due to its high calcium content, this mineral can be obtained from other sources. Thus, calcium is found in all food categories, being present in high quantities in fruits, vegetables, meat, and beans. Awareness campaigns should inform people of the potential negative effects of high dairy products consumption, in order to reduce the incidence of diseases associated with them.
References
Barnard, N. (2007). Dr. Barnard's program for reversing diabetes: frequently asked questions about nutrition. ProCon.Org. Retrieved from: http://milk.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001317
Davaasambuu, G. (2006). Hormones in milk can be dangerous. ProCon.Org. Retrieved from: http://milk.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000825
Lanou, A. (2007). Should flavoured milk be available in school? ProCon.Org. Retrieved from: http://milk.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000840
Moss, M. (2002). Does Milk Cause Coronary Heart Disease? ProCon.Org. Retrieved from: http://milk.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000826
Oski, F. (1996). Don’s drink your milk. Retrieved from: http://milk.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=001317
Walsh, S. (2001). Milk best calcium source' for girls? ProCon. Org. Retrieved from: http://milk.procon.org/view.answers.php?questionID=000828
