Milk: In the recent past, hardly any food has been caught in the crossfire of critics and supporters as much as the white drink. Does milk make you healthy or sick?
On the subject milk there are many opinions, myths and (semi) truths on the web. In this jungle of facts, hardly anyone has an overview anymore.
We took a closer look at some of these myths. We would now like to give the all-clear and say: Everything is wrong, milk is healthy – or on the contrary: plant-based milk replacement is always better.
But it’s not quite that simple – sometimes the myths are correct, sometimes not.
Myth # 1: milk makes you sick
From diabetes to cancer, milk should be to blame for almost every (civilization) disease. The idea behind it: milk from the cow was basically thought by mother nature to make the calves big and strong. It therefore contains growth factors that – researchers suspect – could also be effective in humans.
It is also being discussed whether health effects such as acne, hardening of the arteries, diabetes, obesity and other problems arise in the human body. The most important topics of the milk discussion can be found in the article 5 arguments against milk.
(Photo: © Taylor Franz / Unsplash)
It is true that this assumption is currently being researched. However, no final results are yet available.
So far it has not been possible to isolate milk as the sole cause of obesity and resulting complications (such as type 2 diabetes, arteriosclerosis, etc.). No large study has yet provided concrete evidence of their harmfulness.
The German Nutrition Society (rather conservative in its recommendations) currently assumes that moderate consumption of dairy products does not have any health disadvantages. Moderate means: a total of one glass a day.
The US scientists Walter Willett and David Ludwig von der Harvard Medical School have in Ferbuar 2020 a Meta study performed on milk and evaluated 100 examinations. One focus was on studies that claimed that milk has a cancer-promoting effect. For example, there are studies on the relationship between milk and breast cancer or prostate cancer. The conclusion of the two Harvard scientists: “A significant limitation of existing literature is that almost all prospective studies were carried out in middle-aged or later people, but many risk factors for cancer are effective in childhood or young adulthood.”
So: It is currently controversial to what extent cow’s milk harms people or not or to what extent cow’s milk is healthy or not.
Myth # 2: Milk causes gas
Some people experience severe indigestion after consuming milk or some dairy products. Then there is usually a lactose intolerance.
Lactose is a so-called disaccharide and is also called milk sugar. It occurs in milk and the products processed from it in different concentrations. Fresh cow’s milk has a lactose content of approx. 5 g / 100 ml. When processing cow’s milk, the lactose is wholly or partly released into the product, depending on the water content.
With lactose intolerance, there is a disturbance in lactose digestion, which can lead to more or less severe symptoms. Lactose itself cannot be absorbed by the body in the intestine. For absorption and utilization, it must first be broken down into its individual parts, glucose and galactose, in the intestine. This cleavage is done by an enzyme that is formed by cells in the lining of the small intestine and is called lactase. This enzyme is absent in people who suffer from lactose intolerance. The milk sugar can then not be digested and there is bloating, among other things.
(Photo: © Laurent Hamels – Fotolia.com)
In particular, Asians and Africans, whose ancestors do not have dairy farming, cannot tolerate milk. Dairy farming has a long tradition in Europe, and the body has adapted to lifelong milk consumption over the generations. In Germany, around 20 percent of the population suffer from lactose intolerance. Less in Nordic countries, more in southern countries.
So it is not the milk as a whole that causes the bloated belly, but the milk sugar. Those affected (and only these) can switch to lactose-free products or use dairy products in which the milk sugar has already been broken down during the ripening process. This is the case with cheese, for example.
Myth # 3: milk makes you slim
Every year one reads in relevant magazines that dairy products are ideal for accompanying a diet to reduce body fat. Milk and dairy products, it is regularly said in magazines that promise a “bikini figure in two weeks”, are ideal foods for a slim body.
Unfortunately, this statement is very simplified – like most of the rest of such diet guides. Depending on the type or type of milk product, these are true fat bombs that tend to be counterproductive rather than supportive in reducing weight.
For their meta-study, Walter Willett and David Ludwig from Harvard Medical School also analyzed test results on the relationship between milk and weight loss: “All in all, the results show […] no clear effects of milk consumption on the body weight of children or adults. “
A glass of whole milk (250ml) contains almost 10 grams of fat already half of what a complete balanced meal should contain in terms of total fat content! Milk is therefore not a drink, but a food and should be consumed as such.
So: milk doesn’t make you slim. If you don’t want to eat too much fat with milk, you should pay particular attention to the fat content. A glass of skimmed milk, for example, has significantly fewer calories than a glass of whole milk (but the latter can be healthier, see milk guide).
(Photo: © Markus Mainka – Fotolia.com)
Myth # 4: Milk makes strong bones
Almost every child now knows that milk contains calcium. And calcium is the main component of our bones. So, according to the widespread conclusion, milk must also be good for the bones and promote strong bone growth.
But a recent study from Sweden suggests that increased consumption even increases the risk of osteoporosis and broken bones. The results are still controversial, however, because it is not yet clear why the consumption of milk as a drink increased the risk of broken bones, but not that of fermented milk products (yoghurt, curd cheese, cheese, etc.).
Walter Willett and David Ludwig from Harvard Medical School also come to the conclusion that milk consumption does not necessarily strengthen the bones. Studies that claim this would have methodological shortcomings, the two authors write. For example, examination periods were too short.
The only thing that is certain is that the calcium from milk (and other calcium sources) alone does nothing for the bone, because it always requires the “installation assistant” vitamin D, without which calcium cannot be stored in the bone.
Vitamin D is essential for life, but can basically be produced by the body itself. All you need to do is have enough sunlight on your body through your skin. However, today’s lifestyle prevents us from getting enough sunlight every day, and the ability to synthesize vitamin D3 from sunlight also decreases with age. As a result, many adults have vitamin D deficiency – and older people often have osteoporosis.
Milk consumption or not – without sunlight either way the risk of broken bones increases. The milk alone doesn’t matter here!
Dairy products that don’t belong in a refrigerator
Myth # 5: You get pimples from milk
Milk is also said to be responsible for acne. From a purely medical point of view, acne arises from the interplay of excessive production of horny cells in the sebaceous glands and the bacteria Propionibacterium acnes.
Neither the horny cells nor the bacteria come from cow’s milk. However, there is a study that found that adolescents with high milk consumption had more acne than adolescents who consumed little milk. Therefore, it is believed that not using dairy products can alleviate the course of an acne disease. However, the development of acne cannot prevent the complete absence of dairy products. The formula milk = pimples does not work.
But: all animal fats contain arachidonic acid, a messenger substance that promotes inflammation in the human body. It therefore makes sense to avoid animal fats in any inflammatory reaction (not just acne). This also includes fatty dairy products, eggs and meat products.
Myth # 6: Milk makes us slim
If you believe some mothers and grandmas, the consumption of milk should ensure that “the organism slime”. Especially in the case of cough and other colds and asthma, people should avoid milk because it makes the respiratory tract sluggish and contributes to the worsening of symptoms. In addition, according to some well-intentioned advice, you should not drink milk from foods that are difficult to digest, as this would affect the digestive tract itself with mucus.
However, the all-clear signal applies here: in no single study could it be found that the consumption of dairy products leads to the formation of slime. Neither in the area of the respiratory tract nor in the digestive tract. Milk doesn’t spill us.
By the way: hot milk (also vegetable) with honey relieves a sore throat, since the honey has a slightly antibacterial and anti-inflammatory effect and promotes healing.
Myth # 7: Milk makes you big and strong
“Drink your milk so that you can grow tall and strong!” – who of us didn’t hear that as a child? But were our mothers right when they gave us milk and hoped for good length growth?
Exceptionally, science is unanimous on this point: children who consume milk as they grow have greater growth in length than children who do not have milk. This effect was found particularly well in countries where milk is traditionally not consumed, for example in Asia. Since the western lifestyle and its diet with cheese and other dairy products has been introduced and the babies have been fed with European milk powder, the length growth has increased.
(Model photo: Colourbox.de)
The researchers have not found out why. It could be due to the growth factors in milk that also cause calves to grow. But that is not certain. A certain protein complex that stimulates cell growth could also be responsible for this. Maybe there are also certain minerals, peptides or amino acids in milk? Milk protein casein, for example, is often used as a doping agent in bodybuilding because it allows muscles to grow faster. Is that it? Or the combination of all milk components? This still needs to be found out through research. It would also be questionable, of course, whether such length growth should be aimed at at all.
But one thing is clear on this point: milk makes it!
Myth # 8: Milk makes tablets ineffective
If you go to the trouble and read the package insert for your medication right through to the end, you will surely come across the following phrase again and again: “Do not take with milk!”. So does it make tablets ineffective? Or are these warnings only “scaremongering” with statistically highly unlikely side effects of a drug?
There is no simple answer because it is complicated. Basically, milk is not the problem, but the calcium it contains. If active ingredients of the drug combine with the calcium in milk, the active ingredient can no longer be properly absorbed by the body.
One can imagine this with the formation of small calcium drug lumps, which are tiny but too large to slip through the intestinal wall and thus make the active ingredient available to the body. These small lumps are not soluble, which is why calcium and the active ingredient are then excreted together.
So the medicine has no chance to work. This process happens with many different active ingredients and drugs. It is relatively harmless, for example, for fluorine tablets, which children in particular are given to help their teeth grow better. The same also applies to fluoride toothpaste, which can no longer really protect against tooth decay if you drink a glass of milk afterwards.
This process is particularly paradoxical for agents that are supposed to help with osteoporosis. And milk, you immediately think, can only be good for osteoporosis due to the calcium. Unfortunately, it is precisely this combination of milk and osteoporosis agents that is the problem: here too, reactions occur with milk that significantly weaken the effects of such medications. The combination of milk and certain antibiotics is particularly dangerous, because if an antibiotic is not working properly or not at all, fatal complications can sometimes arise.
So is milk devil’s stuff for medication? Yes and no, because the problem is not in the milk alone, but only in the calcium it contains. These problems also occur with all other foods that are high in calcium, such as calcium-rich mineral water.
Such drugs should therefore be taken with tap water and at least two, better three hours after the last meal. Otherwise the milk makes it ineffective!
(Photo: Peggy Greb (PD))
Myth # 9: Milk lowers blood pressure
Milk contains a lot of potassium, so it is widely believed that milk can lower blood pressure. Walter Willett and David Ludwig from Harvard Medical School also examined this thesis in their meta-study.
They criticize the methodological approach of existing studies on the topic: Scientists would often compare the effects of different foods with milk in their analyzes – the distorted results. Compared to sweetened drinks or refined carbohydrates, milk naturally performs better. But that doesn’t mean that milk per se has a positive effect on blood pressure.
Myth # 10: Milk wakes up tired men
Where does this phrase come from that everyone knows but nobody knows if it is true? In the 1950s, milk was intensively promoted by the dairy industry. Milk bars opened everywhere and the white gold became the epitome of the economic miracle.
The advertising slogan “milk makes men tired” encourages consumption and increases the image of this agricultural product. The very catchy advertising slogan was changed and changed again and again by the Central Marketing Society of the German Agricultural Industry (CMA) and later also the EU in the following decades, but always with the aim of promoting sales.
The successor to the “tired men” slogan from the 80s is equally memorable: “The milk does it!”, Whereby the question of what the milk actually does remains open. Today, the current slogan is “milk is my strength”. It will probably be a few decades before this slogan is as deeply rooted in the minds of the Germans as its predecessors.
But does milk really wake up tired men?
As is so often the case in advertising, not everything is as advertised. Milk contains, among other things, the active ingredient tryptophan, which has a sleep-promoting effect on the body. By the way, cocoa powder also has a fairly high tryptophan content, which is why hot cocoa in the evening can actually help you fall asleep. Milk therefore does not make tired men happy!
Myth # 11: Milk without cruelty to animals
The milk carton usually shows a happy cow on a lush green pasture. It should be clear to all of us that such animal husbandry can of course not lead to the quantities of milk and milk products that we see on the refrigerated shelf every day.
Germany ranks fifth in milk production worldwide – such a position on the world market can no longer have anything to do with traditional attitudes. Our conventional milk comes from high-performance cows, which instead of the usual green fodder have to be fed additional feed with (soy) proteins and fats in order to be able to produce enough milk. This is unnatural for the cow and can lead to metabolic disorders.
(Photo: Colourbox.de)
A cow only gives milk when it has calved. That is why dairy cows are regularly inseminated so that they can calve again and again and continue to give milk – so she is practically “permanently pregnant”. A high-performance cow can produce up to 10,000 liters a year. Inflammation of the udders is unfortunately common. So that the cows do not injure each other in factory farming, they are also painfully dehorned.
Dairy products from conventional livestock farming, like many other foods, are contaminated with hormone and pesticide residues. The whole thing can be handled with organic milk, because no unnatural additional feed is used to produce organic milk, and animal husbandry is also better. The more natural feed is reflected in the quality: organic milk contains significantly more of the heart-healthy omega3 fatty acids than conventional ones. Organic milk does not contain any artificial hormone residues or pesticides, which is due to the better feed quality.
But also “organic cows” are pregnant and are mostly dehorned – so there is no guarantee for species-appropriate husbandry with organic milk. Organic milk is definitely more sustainable, but by no means perfect.
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Myth # 12: Herbal substitutes are better than milk
Recently, more and more alternatives to animal milk have come onto the market, because more and more consumers are eating vegan or looking for alternatives to cow’s milk due to intolerance.
But the rumor mill also cooks with vegetable milk: It is not always clear whether and when vegetable milk alternatives are really the better and healthier choice.
One cannot answer the question in such a general way. It always depends on what you want to achieve with it. Vegetable milk is not automatically better, sometimes it is even worse.
Myth: Soy milk makes you impotent
The classic milk alternative is soy milk, but how much better is it? Men in particular are concerned that the consumption of soy milk and other soy products could make them impotent.
The background is a new study from Great Britain, in which a researcher was able to prove that the number of spermatozoa decreases with soy consumption. It is also true that soy contains so-called phytoestrogens, a kind of herbal female sex hormone. The concern of men: the intake of such female hormones through the consumption of soy products can influence sperm production in such a way that men become infertile.
(Illustration: MIro Poferl)
The fact is that in Asian countries, where a lot of soy products are traditionally consumed, women suffer significantly less from menopause symptoms than in countries where little or no soy is served. It is also a fact: although Asian men regularly consume large amounts of soy products, they have no problems with infertility.
Why the British study came to such a contradicting result has not yet been clarified and will have to be the subject of further research. So far, worldwide studies have found predominantly positive effects of soy products on health.
Myth: Soy milk promotes genetic engineering
For many, the soybean has become the epitome of genetically modified food. And yes: the majority of soybeans grown worldwide are genetically modified. Anyone who consumes soy milk and soy products is therefore repeatedly faced with the accusation of supporting the cultivation of genetically modified plants.
The cultivation of GMO soybeans is prohibited in the EU, but this does not mean that we do not come up with end products that contain genetically modified soy. Such foods have been subject to labeling in the EU since 2004 if they contain genetically modified organisms per ingredient from 0.9%. However, because European consumers are critical of such foods, there are only a few foods that are labeled in this way in the trade.
Soy milk generally has a negligible part in it, because roughly 80% of the world’s soybean production ends up in animal feed – and thus as a piece of meat, egg, cheese or even milk on our table. Animal foods in which the animals were previously fed with genetically modified feed do not need to be labeled!
If we fry the piece of meat in soybean oil or serve it with mayonnaise, the proportion of soy in a meat meal increases to a multiple of what is in a glass of soy milk. Those who eat meat, eggs and dairy products from conventional agriculture support genetic engineering far more than people who replace cow’s milk with soy milk.
By the way: If you buy soy milk, meat, eggs and dairy products with an EU organic seal or label without genetic engineering, you can be sure that no genetic engineering will be used!
Myth: Soy milk is harmful to the environment
Soy is mostly grown in monocultures, for which forest areas in South America in particular are being cut down and savannas destroyed in order to meet the increasing demand for soy worldwide. In addition, the massive use of pesticides and fertilizers pollutes the water.
However, a good 80% of the soy grown under such conditions is used as cattle feed for our ever greater meat hunger and is not used to produce soy milk. By the time this soy cattle feed from the cultivation areas in the USA and South America ends up with European farmers and their animals in the feed trough, the CO2 footprint is already so large that one should avoid meat for this reason alone.
But there is a very different way: It is also possible to grow soy in Germany – and that will be done! Some manufacturers consistently offer soy products such as soy milk and tofu from German or European cultivation. A large-scale project is currently underway to work with 1000 hobby gardeners to research and optimize the growing conditions for soy in Germany. In summer 2016, over 20 types of soy were sown in 1,000 gardens at different climatic locations. Soy milk from domestic soybeans is anything but environmentally harmful!
- Read also: Vegan regional: there is also soy and seitan from Germany
(Photos: © baibaz – Fotolia.com, Hans – pixabay)
Myth: Vegetable milk substitute is sugar water
Anyone who tries herbal alternatives for the first time usually goes for products that have been sweetened additionally or that have been “puffed up” with flavors such as vanilla.
Of course, such drinks are delicious. But because of their high sugar content, they should not serve as a full substitute for cow’s milk. Because even alternative sweeteners such as agave syrup or honey are chemically nothing other than sugar for our metabolism.
Soy milk and various types of cereal milk are not basically “sugar water”. Numerous varieties come unsweetened and everyone can see how much sugar is in the food on the nutritional information. It depends on us consumers, which kind we put in the fridge!
Myth: milk substitutes are less balanced
Those who do not use animal dairy products are quickly exposed to the prejudice that they also do without important nutrients. Right?
Basically, the same applies here: it is up to us consumers, which type of vegetable milk we put in the fridge! Cow’s milk is a standardized product in the EU, for which the respective fat content is defined. Anyone who has already bought something on vacation knows: On the other side of the border, a low-fat brand can sometimes contain 1.8% fat instead of only 1.5% as we do, with raw milk the range is between 3.5% and whole 5% fat.
Even with cow’s milk, it is very difficult to compare the nutritional values, because this ingredient alone can fluctuate considerably. It is the same with plant-based alternatives. Each manufacturer has its own recipe, sometimes adding more, sometimes less water, allowing the mixture to ferment for a shorter or longer time, adding these or those additives. What remains for the consumer is only a direct comparison of different brands on site in the store.
Soy milk and cow’s milk have approximately the same protein content (approx.3.3g / 100g), but the calcium content is already very different (soy milk: 25mg / 100g; cow’s milk: 125mg / 100g).
Because other plant-based alternatives often contain no or very little calcium, this is usually added in varying amounts by the manufacturer. The protein content of cereal milk made from oats, rice and also nuts cannot keep up with that of soy and cow’s milk and varies surprisingly from type to type and manufacturer to manufacturer. But one thing is certain: if you do not use animal milk, you do not necessarily suffer from a lack of nutrients!
By the way: soy milk is not the only milk alternative, there are e.g. also almond milk, oat milk, rice milk, hemp milk, lupine milk, pea milk with various advantages and disadvantages.
Conclusion: milk does it – sometimes
With so many pros and cons, it is still not clear which milk is really the best – if there is an ideal at all. Which should you buy now, which should be left on the shelf?
- Those who live sustainably, for whom climate protection, animal welfare and environmental protection are important, choose plant-based milk, because it is basically the ecologically “rounder” product.
- If you choose plant-based milk, always choose unsweetened, organic-quality variants. Make sure that the soy or grain used for this comes from European or even German cultivation. This ensures that you don’t consume sugar water or genetically modified products and also keeps the carbon footprint relatively small. If you choose plant-based milk, you also make a contribution to climate protection.
- If you choose animal milk, buy organic milk – preferably from regional suppliers. In this way you make sure that you do not support genetic engineering with the purchase of your milk, you keep the CO2 footprint of your milk low and you know that the dairy cows are kept in better living conditions. Ultimately, keep in mind: the less livestock, also for milk, the better for the climate – and for the animals anyway.
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