Milk Consumption: Debating Health Benefits and Risks

Got Milk? “Milk is a white fluid secreted by the mammary glands of female mammals for the nourishment of their young, consisting of minute globules of fat suspended in a solution of casein, albumin, milk sugar, and inorganic salts” (milk). Humans have been consuming milk for thousands of years. As humans we usually consume milk beyond childhood getting it from our animal counterpart’s goats, sheep, and cattle, and using it as a food product. Nine out of ten of the milk consumed in the United States comes from cattle.

There has been numerous debates on rather drinking milk is healthy for humans.

Milk is present in numerous of humans all time favorite foods such as ice cream, yogurt, cheese, and butter, these products are known as dairy products. Milk comes in many different forms. For example: organic, conventional, homogenized, flavored, and non-dairy milk. Contrary to what many may think, there is no known difference between organic and raw milk. "Homogenization is a process that gives milk its rich, white color and smooth texture.

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Milk that has not been homogenized contains a layer of cream that rises to the top of a glass”. (Wokenfuss).

Flavored milk is any milk with artificial flavoring including strawberry, chocolate, and vanilla flavored milks. Flavored milks contain more sugar and fat calories than unflavored milks, but it’s still contains the essential nutrients available in the milk. It was once said that “milk is one-stop shopping for nutrition”. Milk contains nearly all the nutrients that a growing child would need.

It contains fats, carbohydrates, proteins, vitamins and minerals, all these nutrients are essential in not only growing children but human beings in general. Milk is known as being very rich in calcium.

Numerous studies were conducted and it was shown that four out of five serving of foods rich in calcium such as milk, cheese, and other dairy products are needed to optimize peak bone mass during teenage years. "Calcium plays an important role in building stronger, denser bones early in life and keeping bones strong and healthy later in life. " It has been said that dairy foods rich in calcium could possibly increase the speed of weight loss and also reduce the amount of body fat. Milk also has a high quality in protein. Protein helps increase energy, and it also helps build and prepare

muscle tissue. “Vitamins are organic substances essential for many life processes. Milk includes fat soluble vitamins A, D, E, and K... Because milk is an important source of dietary vitamin A, fat reduced products which have lost vitamin A with the fat are required to supplement the product with vitamin A. ” (Douglas). Many critics argue the fact that milk is more harmful to humans than helpful. Dairy products add to numerous health problems. Milk doesn’t possess iron of its own, so it’s possibly could harm a child’s ability to absorb iron. Iron makes up a large amount of proteins in the body.

Having low amount of it could result in deficiency anemia. Large amounts of the American people are lactose intolerant, meaning they can’t consume large amounts of lactose which is highly present in milk. “Studies have suggested that some of the nutritional benefits of milk may be lost when a lactase-deficient [lactose intolerant] individual consumes milk. Not only does this person fail to receive the calories normally supplied by the undigested carbohydrates; resultant diarrhea may lead to loss of protein as well. ” ( Oski). We all have heard the saying “Milk creates strong bones”.

There have been numerous debates on whether the calcium in dairy products really does assist the bones. Statistics show that teenagers bone health is not contributed to the amount of consumed calcium, but the amount of physical activity they partaken in their earlier years. There also hasn’t been any evidence to support the claim that consuming dairy products on a daily basis can contribute to weight loss. Consuming milk also hasn’t proved to be to any assistance later in life. It has been proven that the consumption of milk does increase the risk of ovarian cancer.

“Many researchers say dairy products are high in saturated fat and cholesterol and have been linked to numerous illnesses and diseases such as diabetes, prostate cancer, heart disease, various allergies and Crohn’s disease. ” (Garcia). In conclusion, I believe that the consumption of milk is not an important factor in living a healthy and normal life. Large amounts of research and studies were conducted, and I’ve reviewed the pros and cons of milk and dairy products, and I conclude that there are more harmful after effects from drinking milk than beneficial for human beings.