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Milk - Does It Do A Body Good?

By Dr. Travis Morgan

Saturday, January 26, 2008 03:44 AM

All my life people have been telling me to drink my milk it will give me strong bones, but will it?

The basics of the “milk is good for your bones” statement probably comes from knowing that calcium is good for your bones, milk has calcium, therefore, milk must be good for you bones.  This time logic doesn’t play out in reality.

Look at the facts...

1) In dairy consuming cultures osteoporosis is common.  In non-dairy cultures osteoporosis is very rare, it virtually does not occur.  The bone mass in hunter/gatherer groups is comparable to our elite athletes, even their elderly.

2) Dairy is high in protein and low in phosphorous this leads to an increase urinary excretion of calcium.   So the calcium you get from milk gets eliminated in your urine.

3) Dairy is an acidic food.  This leads to a shift in your body’s pH which has to be balanced.  Your body does this by pulling calcium from your bones. 

As you can see from the facts dairy will actually lead to increased risk of osteoporosis.  If you feel that you need more calcium in your diet than either take a supplement (check with your Family Chiropractor or Physician) or try to eat more vegetables like spinach and broccoli or fruits such as oranges. 

Lastly, the real risk factor for osteoporosis is lack of weight-bearing physical activity.  Get up, get moving.  Resistance (weight) training has been shown to increase bone density regardless of calcium intake.  Start with walking and light circuit training.  If you are not sure if it is safe to begin an exercise regiment, ask your Family Chiropractor or Physician.

 

References:

1) Eaton, Eaton & Konner. Paleolithic nutrition revisited: A twelve year retrospective on its nature and implications. Eur J. of Clinical Nutrition. 1997:51;207-216

2) Chestnut, James. The Innate Diet & Natural Hygiene. Global Self Help Corp. 2004

3) http://www.essense-of-life.com/info/foodchart.htm


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Posted on Saturday, January 26, 2008 03:44 AM in Health by Dr. Travis Morgan

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Comments

Comment Posted by: Chester on January 26 2008 8:05 AM
But most of our conventional medical profession promotes milk and dairy products. Why aren't they challenged to prove their philosophy when evidence elsewhere seems to contridict them? Chester
Comment Posted by: travism on January 26 2008 11:11 AM
The short answer is money. The dairy industry is a multibillion dollar operation and can afford the advertising. The average person doesn't spend the day reading physiology journals to find out the truth.

As for medical doctors. I can't actually say how much training in nutrition they get. I have heard it is low and upon checking the UBC Website I can't find one single course on nutrition in the medical program. Essentially they have to learn how to diagnose and treat every disease, a huge task, and nutrtion just seems to fall through the cracks, most will just tell you to follow the Canada Food Guide.

The Canada Food guide is written by the government and no government would say don't eat dairy it is bad for you, even though it is true.
Comment Posted by: ammonra on January 26 2008 11:44 AM
It would be the dietitians who study nutrition rather than doctors. Doctors who need information would then ask them. That's how things are done in modern medicine.

Most dietitians approve of reasonable amounts of milk, but anything can be overdone, and some people are either allergic to bovine protein or intolerant of it. It benefits most people who drink it, I understand.

Then, of course, there is cheese, especially the old mature types. Of course, it is debatable as to whether these are actually milk products any more. They might better be described as fungal cultures.
Comment Posted by: Harbinger on January 26 2008 7:20 PM
Milk doesn't come from cows anymore. It comes from dairies. Five pounds of milk to make one pound of cheese. By the way, how about those marketing boards, eh? Making our milk twice the world price. Any mention of that? Probably not. As usual.
Comment Posted by: lucy on January 28 2008 2:39 PM
Could it be that dairy consuming cultures are generally sedentary which leads to osteoporosis? Hunter/Gatherer cultures are by definition those which have no choice but to be active and do exercise which improves bone density.

Or could it be that hunter/gatherer groups don't live long enough to develop osteoporosis? They likely don't have lifespans that are equal to that of ours due to their lifestyle.