“Too much milk may be bad for your health” is an article made by Dennis Thompson which tackles about the side effects of excessive drinking of milk. According to him, “calcium in milk can help strengthen bones and prevent osteoporosis”. As such, many individuals, including adults, drink milk due to the benefits it may bring. However, excessive drinking may lead to serious health complications which might endanger their life. According to the new study, adults who drink three or more glasses of milk each day have higher possibilities to incur fatal diseases, such as cancer and cardiovascular malfunctions (Thompson). Furthermore, the supposedly benefits of milk are reportedly producing negative outcomes, such as the increased brittleness of the bones. Fortunately, no direct link has been established regarding this matter as of now (Thompson).
If a direct link will ever be established regarding this case, then some parts of the world should be alerted because according to Christopher Delgado’s “Rising Consumption of Meat and Milk in Developing Countries Has Created a New Food Revolution,” the consumption of meat and other animal products, including milk has increased in the recent years especially in developing countries. Furthermore, Delgado had been projected that over the next years, this increase in milk consumption will further increase (3907-3910). Delgado’s facts may sound good, but he had emphasized that “in many cases, these dietary changes also create serious environmental and health problems that require active policy involvement to prevent irreversible consequences” (3907). This means that while there are health benefits with the increase in consumption of milk, there are problems that may come from it (3907).
Moreover, in an interview with Loren Cordain in “The Paleo Diet,” she stated that milk has many side effects which can be found in different parts of the body. According to latest meta-analysis, milk is a significant contributor for Parkinson’s disease, asthma, and mucus formation inside the lungs. Furthermore, another recent study showed that “In rodent experiments, both lactose and galactose promote formation of cataracts in the eye” (Cordain). This new discoveries only showed that milk, in its entirety, is not a healthy diet especially when adults drink too much of it. Even if the results are only evident to the rat’s anatomy (only the cataract), it does not mean that humans are safe against the possible occurrences of these diseases. After all, history had proven that mice experiments have same results to humans.
Another factor to be considered, according to “Raw or heated cow milk consumption: Review of risks and benefits” by Claeys et al, was the preference of people on which type of milk to drink. According to Claeys and colleagues, raw milk is a more potent source of diseases which are caused by the microorganisms found in the cow’s body. This only means that people who have such preferences have higher chances of contacting these diseases. Moreover, non-direct drinkers are also at risk for contamination, especially if the milk is not processed. As such, the article recommends that “heating with the exception of an altered organoleptic profile” must be done first in order to remove these pathogens (Claeys et al.). This must be done in order not to remove the nutrients of the milk while being heated.
Unfortunately, according to “Dairy components, products and human health” by Stanton, McMahon and Mills, the risk of contact with the disease does not end up after the milk has been processed. During fermentation, milk contains casein and whey, protein components which are abundant source of amino acid (Stanton, McMahon, & Mills 214). In proper amounts, these are helpful in preventing ulcer and gastritis. However, excessive consumption of protein will lead to organ failure, because “the rate at which the gastrointestinal tract can absorb amino acids and the liver’s capacity to deaminate proteins and produce urea to excrete excess nitrogen” will decline considerably (Stanton, McMahon, & Mills 214). This finding only proves that processing of milk does not affect its nutrient content. This is one reason why adults should not drink milk excessively.
Furthermore, Anthoni’s findings in “Milk protein IgG and IgA: The association with milk-induced gastrointestinal symptoms in adults,” higher level of the antibody Immunoglobulin G can be directly related to constipation. This only means that people with high levels of IgG have higher milk consumption. “Milk-induced gastrointestinal symptoms” are more likely the indication that constipation has been contacted (Anthoni 4917). This also implies that the production of excessive antibodies will be detrimental to one’s health. Because of this, it can be inferred that milk gives off nutrients which are not controllable when there is an excessive intake. The antibodies will start to affect other cells, even the good ones. Therefore, the conclusion that IgG count is significant for constipation is an accurate discovery (Anthoni 4918).
Additionally, in the article by Jane Brody entitled “Long and Short of Calcium and Vitamin D”, the recommendations for vitamin D and calcium had been shown to make people think if they are having little or too much nutrition. The source of vitamin D and calcium can be easily found, but the problem is that maintaining the optimum bodily intake of these minerals is difficult to achieve, especially if the body will be exposed to sunlight, which is a natural source of vitamin D (Brody). According to the article, most individuals have no need of calcium supplements since it had been linked to kidney stones and heart diseases (Brody). These supplements will not help in maintaining a healthy body, but instead, it will only become a problem in the liver. Also, too much calcium will prevent Furthermore, Brody recommends that individuals start living a healthy lifestyle and “avoid several bone-robbing habits”.
Works Cited
Anthoni, S. “Milk protein IgG and IgA: The association with milk-induced gastrointestinal symptoms in adults.” World Journal of Gastroenterology, 2009; 15(39): 4915-4918.
Brody, Jane E. "Long and Short of Calcium and Vitamin D." New York Times, January 2014, 2011: n.p.
Claeys, Wendie, Sabine Cardoen, and Lieve Herman. "Raw or heated cow milk consumption: Review of risks and benefits." Food Control, 2013: 251-262.
Delgado, Christopher. "Rising Consumption of Meat and Milk in Developing Countries Has Created a New Food Revolution." The Journal of Nutrition, 2013: 3907S-3910S.
Loren Cordain, interview by Cordell. “Questions about Milk.” The Paleo Diet (March 29, 2012).
Stanton, Catherine, McMahon, Deirdre, and Mills, Susan. “Dairy components, products, and human health.” Milk and Dairy Products in Human Nutrition, 2013: 207-242.
Thompson, Dennis. "Too much milk may be bad for your health." CBSNEWS. October 29, 2014. http://www.cbsnews.com/news/too-much-milk-may-be-bad-for-your-health/ (accessed March 7, 2016).
