Milk - facts and fallacies
Milk is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals, particularly calcium. It has long been recognised for its important role in bone health. Nutritionists recommend that milk and other dairy products should be consumed daily as part of a balanced diet.
There is some inaccurate information around in the general community about the health benefits of milk. Changing your milk intake on the basis of these fallacies may mean you are unnecessarily restricting this highly nutritious drink.
Milk contains many different nutrients
Milk and milk products contain a good balance of protein, fat and carbohydrate and are a very important source of essential nutrients including:
Calcium
Riboflavin
Phosphorous
Vitamins A, D and B12
Pantothenic acid.
Milk products also contain ‘high quality proteins’ that are well suited to human needs. Milk proteins increase the value of poorer quality cereal and vegetable proteins in the diet by providing the amino acids these proteins lack.
Milk and health conditions
Australians tend to restrict dairy foods when they try to lose weight, believing them to be fattening. Dairy foods contain saturated fats, which have been associated with increased blood cholesterol levels. However, dairy foods are not a threat to good health if consumed in moderation as part of a well-balanced nutritious diet.
Some research findings include:
Osteoporosis – if milk and milk products are removed from the diet, it can lead to an inadequate intake of calcium. This is of particular concern for women, who have high calcium needs. Calcium deficiency may lead to disorders like osteoporosis (a disease characterised by bone loss).
Colon cancer – recent studies have found that people who regularly eat dairy products have a reduced risk of developing colon cancer.
Blood pressure – research in the US found that a high intake of fruits and vegetables, combined with low fat dairy foods, lowered blood pressure more than fruits and vegetables alone.
Type 2 diabetes – a 10-year study of 3,000 overweight adults found that consuming milk and other milk products instead of refined sugars and carbohydrates may protect overweight young adults from developing type 2 diabetes.
Flavoured milk
A recent US study reported that children who avoid milk tend to be fatter than children who drink milk. This may be because milk is being replaced by high energy drinks such as fruit juice or soft drinks.
As children move into adolescence, the time when they need the most calcium, they tend to drink less milk and more sugary soft drinks. As milk is a healthier choice, it is worth encouraging children to drink flavoured milk rather than soft drinks.
Milk and tooth decay
Milk and milk products are thought to protect against tooth decay. Eating cheese and other dairy products:
Reduces oral acidity (which causes decay)
Stimulates saliva flow
Decreases plaque formation
Decreases the incidence of dental caries (tooth decay).
Modified milks explained
There are many types of modified milks on the market, including:
Full cream – full cream milk contains around four per cent fat and is a source of vitamins A and D. For children up to the age of two years, full cream milk is recommended.
Reduced fat – expect around half as much fat in reduced fat milk as full cream. Children over the age of two years can drink reduced fat milk.
Skim milk – contains less than one per cent fat. Children older than five years can safely consume skim milk. Both reduced fat and skim milk have vitamin A and D added to replace the naturally occurring vitamins that are reduced when the fat is removed.
Calcium enriched – generally, milks that are enriched with extra calcium are also fat reduced. A 250ml glass of milk contains 420–450mg of calcium.
Flavoured – these milks can either be full cream or reduced fat. However, most varieties contain a lot of sugar.
UHT (ultra-high temperature-treated) milk – allows milk to be stored for long periods.
Unpasteurised milk
Most milk on the market is pasteurised (heat treated then cooled). Milk that hasn’t been through this process should be avoided. While pasteurisation reduces the amount of some vitamins, such as vitamin C, it also kills bacteria. Unpasteurised milk is a health hazard because of the dangers of bacterial diseases.
Milk and mucous
Many people in Australia believe that nasal stuffiness is related, in part, to how much milk you drink. However, there is no scientific basis to this theory. Milk doesn’t encourage extra mucous production.
Cows milk versus goats milk
Some people switch to goats milk because of perceived sensitivities to cows milk. If a person has an allergic sensitivity, it is usually due to one or more of the proteins in milk. The proteins in goats milk are closely related to those in cows milk so replacing one type of milk with the other usually doesn’t make any difference. Milk allergies are more common in very young children and most tend to grow out of them or build up a tolerance to milk.
Lactose intolerance
Lactose is a type of carbohydrate or sugar that naturally occurs in milk from any mammal, including humans. Normally, an enzyme in the small intestine called lactase breaks down lactose so it can be absorbed into the bloodstream. Some people don’t produce enough lactase so undigested lactose is broken up by the bacteria in the large intestine causing gas, bloating, pain and diarrhoea. This condition is called ‘lactose intolerance’.
You can be born lactose intolerant or develop it later in life. If you think you may be lactose intolerant, see your doctor.
Most people can have small amounts of dairy products
Milk and milk products are highly nutritious, so people who suffer from lactose intolerance should not give them up entirely. You can still consume milk in moderate quantities. You can also buy lactose-free milk. Most people can tolerate the amount of lactose in:
Half a cup of milk
Three-quarters of a cup of ice cream
Three-quarters of a cup of yoghurt
Half a cup of white sauce
Three-quarters of a cup of unripened cheeses like cottage or ricotta.
Some dairy foods contain less lactose
Some dairy foods contain less lactose than others and may be better for people who suffer from lactose intolerance. For example:
Fermented milk products including some yoghurts, mature cheeses (like cheddar cheese, fetta and mozzarella) and butter generally pose no tolerance problems.
Heated milk products, such as evaporated milk, seem to be better tolerated than unheated foods because the heating process breaks down some of the lactose.
Foods that contain lactose are better tolerated if eaten with other foods or spread out over the day, rather than being eaten in large amounts at once.
Hidden lactose
Foods that may contain hidden lactose include:
Biscuits and cakes
Processed breakfast cereals
Cheese sauce
Cream soups
Custard
Milk chocolate
Pancakes and pikelets
Scrambled eggs
Quiche
Muesli bars
Some breads
Some margarines (containing milk).
If you are trying to avoid lactose, look for the following ingredients in lists on food labels:
Milk solids
Non-fat milk solids
Whey
Milk sugar.
Soy is also a good alternative
Other sources of calcium
Although milk is an excellent source of calcium, it isn’t the only one. Other good sources include:
Cheese, especially hard cheeses
Yoghurt
Calcium-fortified soy products
Calcium-fortified cereals, orange juice
Fish with edible bones, like canned salmon and sardines
Some nuts (almonds, brazil nuts)
Sesame seeds (tahini)
Dried fruit (figs, apricots)
Dark green leafy vegetables (Asian greens like bok choy).
Daily calcium requirements
To meet the body’s daily calcium requirement, it is recommended that you eat three serves of dairy products a day. One serve is equivalent to:
250ml of milk
35g (one matchbox-sized piece) of cheese
200g yoghurt
200g (four small scoops) of icecream.
Milk products that are poor calcium sources include cream, cottage cheese, ricotta cheese and cream cheese.
People who do not eat any dairy products may have difficulty meeting their daily calcium requirements. They will need to pay special attention to other dietary sources of calcium.
