A lot has been said about cow’s milk. Some things are true, of course, and others just denigrate milk. Unfortunately, however, there are also some myths that are considered to be facts. Is it really that important for children to drink milk? Is it really desirable for bone health to drink it daily and regularly? What is it all about?

Cow’s milk

All female mammals, including humans, produce milk. It is the same with cows. Cows produce milk to nurse their calf for about a year. This fat-filled hormonal secretion is designed by nature to turn a 30-kilogram newborn calf into a 320-kilogram adult cow or bull in just one year.

Unfortunately, in the dairy industry, cows don’t nurse calves. The milk is taken from them for sale. To increase milk yield, they add artificial hormones and antibiotics to the cows. This cocktail of fat and huge doses of hormones and antibiotics is then sold by shops under the label of one of the healthiest foods.

Babies need nutrients

Milk is crucial for children. Yes, but most of the time it’s not. Clearly, children’s diets should meet the nutritional requirements. Growing children need unsaturated fats, calcium, vitamin D. So it’s clear that it’s appropriate to give them drinks other than plain water to drink. But why does it have to be just cow’s milk? What they need can also be found, for example, in fortified vegetable drinks.

It is often said that milk builds strong bones. This is one of the most widespread myths. A large study from Harvard followed 72,000 women for 20 years and found no evidence that drinking milk prevented fractures or osteoporosis. Another study with more than 96,000 participants found that the more milk men consumed, the more fractures they suffered in adulthood.

The body fights cow’s milk

Apart from humans, no species drinks milk longer than in infancy. Cow’s milk is good for the nutritional needs of calves, but in humans it is one of the main causes of food allergies in children. This is because most people start producing less lactase, an enzyme that helps with milk digestion, as early as age two. And this is what can lead to lactose intolerance.

━━ ( Source: Mary Skrynnikova 💛💙 /  Unsplash+ )

Milk will help with weight loss

Unfortunately, this is not true either. Studies repeatedly show that dairy offers no weight control benefits. One study even found the opposite to be true. According to the study, dairy products can lead to weight gain. In 2005, the Board of Medicine asked the Federal Trade Commission to immediately end the dairy industry’s misleading campaigns about milk and weight control.

Milk is healthy for the heart

Milk and other dairy products are a major source of saturated fat in the American diet in particular. These clog the arteries. In addition, some dairy products also contain cholesterol. A diet high in fat, saturated fat and cholesterol increases the risk of heart disease. And these are one of the leading causes of death in the United States.