Cows Milk and Human Consumption

Current Health Debate: Cow’s Milk and Human Consumption So many people grew up hearing repeated slogans and promotions from the dairy industry that were so consistent and repetitive, they seemed almost like a part of life. “Milk does a body good.” “Milk builds strong bones.” “Got Milk?” For decades, no one questioned the power of milk and the necessity of giving children milk.

However, in the last ten or so years, the mentality has shifted and a product that was once unquestioned as a staple of human consumption, has now become controversial. This paper examines some of the pros and cons of the dairy industry and milk consumption from a strictly health perspective. The benefits of cow’s milk are examined lucidly, as are the criticisms that the dairy industry and milk consumption receive. Finally, each side’s argument is concluded succinctly, and recommendations for future protocol are presented for consideration.

Pros One of the major benefits that milk provides to an individual’s health is found in the fact that this beverage is chock full of nutrients, vitamins, minerals and a range of substances that the human being needs to thrive. The National Dairy Council has gone on the record repeatedly stressing the benefits of milk, notably the nine main nutrients that provide a direct impact to the health of a human being.

All of the following nutrients cannot be debated in their importance to human health and wellness: calcium (constructs healthy bones/teeth and helps in keeping bone mass stable); protein (can be used for energy and in the repair and construction of muscle); potassium (regulates blood pressure), phosphorus (keeps bones strong and helps create energy for the boy to use, vitamin d (assists in the maintenance of bone health), vitamin B12 (helps assist in creating healthy red blood cells and nerve tissue), vitamin A (helps in overseeing the immune system, regulating vision and skin, riboflavin (assists in the conversion of food into fuel for the body) niacin (breaks down sugars and fatty acids) (Capretto, 2010).

This clearly demonstrates that this beverage packs a tremendous hit when it comes to serving the body something it desperately needs. In fact the body can gain the daily amount of nutrients it needs from just eight ounces of milk.

Many doctors and nutritionists alike view it as a wonder beverage that has been taken for granted for decades, as a glass of milk offers “the same amount of vitamin D you'd get from 3.5 ounces of cooked salmon, as much calcium as 2 1/4 cups of broccoli, as much potassium as a small banana, as much vitamin A as two baby carrots and as much phosphorus as a cup of kidney beans” (Capretto, 2010).

Hence, milk can offer the average human a wealth of advantages and assets to health in just a glass, making it also very cost effective. Another major benefit of milk is that it acts as an enormous preventative substance to thwart disease. Much research has gone into determining which nutrients consumption is most beneficial at preventing disease. Milk is rich in potassium and potassium has been found to be the wonder nutrient in preventing certain types of debilitating cardiovascular disease.

“Dietary potassium intake has been demonstrated to significantly lower blood pressure (BP) in a dose-responsive manner in both hypertensive and nonhypertensive patients in observational studies, clinical trials, and several meta-analyses” (Houston, 2011). With high doses of potassium such as those over 4,000 mg per day, one can lower one’s risk of cardiovascular disease from 8%-15% (Houston, 2011). However, critics of milk argue that this benefit can come from potassium that is contained in a range of foods.

Given the naturally high amounts of potassium in milk, it becomes much easier to hit those daily amounts. Similarly, the National Cancer Institute (NCI) asserts that the research has demonstrated a beneficial relationship between high levels of calcium and a minimization of the dangers of colorectal cancer (Ware, 2017). As usual with most research, the results of every study have not been consistent, but there’s been enough research conducted to show that a very positive relationship exists between the two.

Likewise, research has connected drinking milk every day to a minimization of the development of osteoporosis. Finally, there have been connections made between the consumption of milk and the minimization of depression, as vitamin d helps in the creation of serotonin, a hormone connected with mood, eating and slumber (Ware, 2017). A lack of adequate vitamin d has a host of adverse connections for the human body, including depression, fatigue, and other ailments (Ware, 2017). Cons Yet, the evidence against dairy milk is very damning.

Sales of dairy milk have been declining in recent years, because more and more adults are refusing to drink milk. A glass of milk contains “…acidic animal protein that leeches calcium from the bones, pus cells, bovine growth hormone, feces, antibiotics, and a whole lot of unnecessary fat, cholesterol and calories — all of which create a terrible imbalance in the body” (Verma, 2014). More and more adults have been discovering issues in their tolerance of milk.

Cow’s milk is loaded with protein—three times the amount of protein of human milk. This overload of protein means that it creates proven metabolic disturbances in humans as well as discovered detrimental bone health consequences (Feskanich et al., 1996). This data is shocking to so many, as milk has long been marketed as having over 300mg of calcium. However, this is a myth, many have argued, that was created by the dairy industry.

Part of the reason that milk leads to calcium depletion is in connection with the manner that the body digests milk. “Calcium actually neutralizes acid in our body, and most of the calcium is stored in our bones. When acidified animal protein is ingested, the calcium from our bones is drawn out to neutralize the effects of the toxic animal protein. After the calcium does its job cleaning up the mess, it is then excreted through the kidneys via urine, thus leading to a calcium deficit” (Verma, 2014).

Many nutritionists suggest that the best way to get calcium is through legumes or dark leafy vegetables, as the body can more naturally absorb these. Another reason why the “healthiness” of drinking milk is so fallible is because the pasteurization and homogenization of milk annihilates so many of the nutrients found in the substance, while making it more difficult for people to digest (Verma, 2014).

In fact, some experts go so far as to claim that around 60% of the entire global population is lactose intolerant, which many nutritionists believe supports the notion that people are not meant to be consuming milk (Weise, 2012). Finally, the dairy industry has been laden with corruption for years, and some believe that the decline in dairy sales is a direct result of bad karma coming back to haunt them.

Cows are often injected with both antibiotics and the genetically engineered Bovine growth Hormone, something that forces cows to create more milk (Verma, 2014). “Cows are routinely given steroids and other hormones to plump them up. These potent synthetic hormones disturb the delicate human hormonal balance, leading to a lot of medical problems. Toxic pesticides from food that cows ingest also make their way into the milk, which humans unknowingly consume” (Verma, 2014). Cows in America lead horrible lives that are riddled with the worst of conditions and treatment.

From an energetic standpoint, it is unwise for people to consume any bodily substance from an animal so poorly treated. To add to the sense of corruption, many consumer watchdogs have brought up repeatedly that “nutritional education” in schools has been mostly funded by the dairy industry, and that the bias has been there for years, with little children being taught that dairy products are vital for adequate nutrition (onegreenplanet.org).

Many members of congress receive campaign contributions from the National Dairy Council, something so constant and that has gone on for years, one can’t help but expect that dairy will continue to be marketed as good for one’s health (onegreenplanet.org). Conclusion When it comes to the dairy industry, milk consumption for humans is largely a hot button issue. The nation is largely divided on whether or not humans are supposed to consume milk and these divisions are deeply felt.

Those in favor of supporting the dairy industry and of humans consuming milk overall like to remind people that humans have consumed milk since the beginning of time. Milk has been the cornerstone of the development for human beings for centuries. People are always going to have odd health problems that crop up from time to time, but one simply cannot argue with the overall perfection of milk.

It contains all the things that humans need in order to develop and thrive—and milk can be consumed from a cow ethically and humanely. The people who hold this opinion largely think that while milk consumption might not be ideal for everyone, it is suitable for most people. The proof, they argue, is not just in science and that milk has a proven track record of not just fighting and preventing diseases in humans.

The proof is in the fact that humans have consumed cow’s milk for centuries and have continued to thrive and develop on it. Those who disagree argue that drinking milk has always been unnatural for humans, and now people are finally experiencing aggravated impacts of this. Now that there are so many alternatives to cow’s milk, these other options only highlight how unsuitable cow’s milk is for people.

Our society now has all the scientific processes that demonstrate just how problematic it is to digest and how it contributes overall to disease. The research consistently points to milk as being a problematic substance that only.