Growing up, I was always an active child involved in many
sports and activities. I grew up eating what I would consider a healthy diet
comprised of the usual grains, meats, vegetables, fruit, and the dreaded dairy
products. For some reason during my childhood, at dinner time the same argument
would come about between my father and I with him starting the conversation, “Drink
you’re milk! Don’t you want to be big and strong when you’re older?” I hated
drinking milk, didn’t matter if it was skim, 2%, or whole, I didn’t like it. Fortunate
for me, I listened to my dad and drank it anyway, even if I plugged my nose. While
the idea that milk is good for your bones, milk also has many other benefits that
many people don’t realize that are great for your health.
One benefit that milk has is its link toward preventing
cancer. While this doesn’t mean if you drink a lot of milk you are immune to
cancer, studies have shown that the protein lactoferrin has anti-cancer
properties. In a study done on mice that contained the human gene that induces
lung tumors, they found that the lactoferrin decreased the proliferation of
cancer cells and lung cell inflammation.
After reading the article they are continuing to look into this milk
protein to conduct further experiments and tests.
Another interesting benefit I found out that seemed surprising
to me and what I think would be to most people, is that milk actually reduces
the risk of obesity. Most people believe that because of the fat in milk you
will gain weight, but that is not true. In a study done over 12 years on 1500
men, it revealed that a high intake of dairy fat lowered their risk of
developing obesity where as a low dairy fat intake and the opposite result. They
believe the mechanism for this effect may be related to the increased Calcium
levels, result in more fat excretion out of the body.
One last benefit that milk offers to our health is its
impact on learning and memory. In the study it showed that different peptides
and receptors were shown to increase in these categories. B-Casomoprphins are important
for infants and it was found that it is better in breast milk.
Overall, milk and other dairy products are important for our
health and should play a major role in our diets. Thankfully I can thank my Dad
for getting me the dairy I needed as a child.
I never fully realized the importance of getting milk into your diet. As someone who is lactose intolerant, and cannot handle many dairy product, this is very interesting to me. I wonder what I am missing out on by not drinking my milk. I am also surprised to see that milk lowers risks of obesity, very interesting.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up, I was also coerced into drinking a glass of milk before bed. If I didn't, this meant that I couldn't go to bed. I was always told that milk is good for you and it helps strengthen bones so you should drink it, however, I was unaware of the other benefits that milk has. This was a very educational blog.
ReplyDeleteI always knew that milk had some health benefits, but I had no idea that it could help in cancer prevention as well as learning and memory. When I was a kid my parents would always make me drink it and I am happy that they made me do this. I wonder if powdered milk also carries the same health benefits as normal milk?
ReplyDeleteThose findings are interesting. Did they test milk that consumers buy or milk before it is pasteurized? I know that the differences in those two forms of milk would make a major difference.
ReplyDeleteI had always drank my milk when I was a little girl but now I am not a big fan of milk, I guess every 10 years your taste buds do change. However, I did know that milk has great amount of Calcium which is good for bone and teeth. But it is interesting to see that milk has been linked to preventing cancer. I wonder which type of milk (whole milk, skim milk, or 2% milk etc) has greater nutritional benefits? Is there a ideal amount that one should consume daily?
ReplyDeleteWow, that was a shocking read, specifically the part about cancer prevention. I wonder what the specific pathway for that is and if it is related to the anti-angiogenic foods Dr. Li was describing in that TED talk. Very interesting read, Mark. I am also wondering if related to the decrease in obesity is that milk has protein that may aid in burning fat and building muscle. This article was very informative. Before I only knew that milk could help me build strong bones and teeth; now I know that it helps in cancer prevention and obesity.
ReplyDeleteI have always been very fond of milk as a child since everytime I finish drinking it I end up with a milk mustache. Now as a college student, I only have milk in my cereal and chai and I don't drink as much milk as I used to before. I knew that milk helps to provide strong bones and teeth but I did not know that milk has a link in preventing cancer and reducing the risk of obesity until now. I wonder if the milk we purchase at the store helps with gaining these benefits since the milk undergoes pasteurization, homogenization and fortification before we purchase it. Also, I wonder if we would get these same benefits of drinking milk if not more if we consume the milk directly after the cow has been milked.
ReplyDeleteJust like you I wasn't a big fan of milk when I was younger. I like it now. I still eat cereal in the morning and make sure its 2% or whole milk. I do not understand people who drink skim milk.. Its straight water... And it is awesome to know that the risks of obesity are reduced with drinking milk. It is a shame that milk is being so processed and so many additives are added. I understand that many dangerous factors are being removed from it, but it must mean they are also killing off some of the benefits
ReplyDeleteMilk was never my favorite beverage as a young child, as I'd only drink it when I consumed cereal. I agree with Alex in terms of the skim milk, as it is far too watered down. I should start drinking more milk, after reading about the other positive effects that it can have in terms of preventing cancer and decreasing obesity risks. My good friend's family owns a farm and he ONLY drinks unpasteurized milk and I've never seen him get sick. I could never understand that but his immune system appears to be in great standing. I wonder if there are any significant studies comparing pasteurized milk with unpasteurized milk to see some of the differences.
ReplyDeleteI completely agree with you....As a child I absolutely hated milk! I was always forced to drink milk at daycare and I always, like you found strange ways to force it down. I would to plug my nose, add ice to the milk, water it down, or I would drink it in intervals. No matter how long it took me, my day care provider made me drink three cups of milk everyday and like you I would always ask the question why? I understand now the important health benefits of milk, and all the different vitamins that are in milk. What I still want to know, especially for my kids (if I have any in the future) is the health benefits of cow milk compared to other milks (almond, soy, or coconut). As an adult I still absolutely hate milk, but I can tolerate coconut milk and almond milk. For a child, are there any major differences between these milks, or do all of them have the same health benefits?
ReplyDeleteThe only way I drink milk is if it is chocolate milk, or with cereal or if I eat something sweet. I used to have a hard time with school lunches because the thought of drinking milk with actual meals repulses me. I grew up drinking 2% milk but now I only drink fat free milk. I wonder what the pros and cons of that change have been on my body. I think it is interesting that this study claims that milk could prevent cancer because most milks contain bovine growth hormone, causing there to be more insulin growth factor which has been associated with a rise in cancers.
ReplyDeleteI found this very interesting. We always know growing up that milk is "good for your bones and to grow strong". I had no idea that it also has anti-cancer properties as well as reducing the risk of obesity and improving learning and memory. Who knew that milk would contain different things to improve our overall health and even learning abilities. I wonder what other research has been done on milk and calcium itself and if it has other anti-cancer properties against other cancer cells.
ReplyDeleteI was actually surpirse to learn that milk just doesn't help with making you strong and have good bones. That phrase was drilled into my siblings and I all the time. I would have never guess that milk can help to prevent cancer and help with learning and memory. I wonder what other properties milk has on our bodies because just like our mother's milk, milk plays a key role in our development and health. I wonder if there have been any studies done to compare milk to other types of milk and the impacts each one has on the body.
ReplyDeleteGrowing up in a family of avid milk drinkers I loved having a glass or two of milk daily. In a family of 9 people we go through about 1-2 gallons of milk per day. I honestly think that we drink more milk than water in my house. At college I found myself drinking less milk but I am glad that I like the taste and can drink it without a problem. Its pretty awesome to hear that milk has wonderful benefits to help with preventing cancer and obesity. I'm glad to hear that milk also helps with memory and learning! I better keeping drinking that glass of milk.
ReplyDeleteMaybe it is simply me, but I love drinking milk! When I buy 2%, I can taste that little bit of fat and it is oh so delicious going down the pallet. But now that I am hearing that it can even combat cancer, seems like Ill be buying a lot more now! I wonder if there is a major difference between the types of milk (whole, 1,2%, skim) in fighting against cancer! More research clearly needs to be done!
ReplyDeleteI love chocolate milk and I have it almost with every meal. I did not know that lactoferrin has anti-cancer properties. In Anatomy and Physiology and Nutrition we learned that it has anti-microbial properties as it withholds iron from the bacteria during an infection. Mark, it also surprises me that high intake of dairy fat would lower risk for obesity because I though low fat milk is to help reduce the risk of obesity. I would be interested in learning how increased calcium levels would lead to more fat excretion because I am bit skeptical of that. I think the study might have also overlooked what else the participants might be consuming such as dietary fibers or other foods that lower the risk of obesity because of individuals who drink more milk also eat more nutritious foods compared to those who drink less milk but don't eat more nutritious foods.
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