Is Milk Friend; Enemy? 🥛 Is Milk Harmful?

In recent years, there have been diametrically opposite views on the benefits and harms of milk. So, what about yogurt and cheese besides milk? In this article, we discuss whether milk is beneficial or harmful to us. I would also appreciate if you add your experiences and recommendations about milk as a comment.

Milk Content

Consider cow’s milk, which is the most used discussion topic when discussing milk. Like human milk, cow’s milk is a superfood designed to nourish and raise its young as soon as possible. High in milk; protein, fat, lactose, cholesterol, calcium and hormones. Apart from this, there are important substances that strengthen the baby’s immune system and probiotic bacteria from the mother.

 Breast milk contains very important substances that strengthen the immune system that will determine the future life and health of the child, as well as performing very important tasks related to the nutrition and development of children. The World Health Organization, scientific organizations and ministries of health insistently emphasize the importance of breast milk. In summary, breast milk is a super beneficial food for the baby. Ideally, it takes 6 to 12 months for babies to suckle their mothers. With the beginning of the teeth of the children, the mother’s milk begins to gradually cease, and at this stage, a transition period to normal feeding begins in infants.

You can see the nutritional values of skimmed and whole milk in the table below.

Should We Drink Milk?

At this stage, there are two basic questions: Is it right for babies to drink cow’s milk after weaning from breast milk? Another question is: Are there any benefits of drinking milk in adulthood?

First of all, it would be useful to clarify one issue. Breast milk is not a food in the classical sense, breast milk is a baby food. Humans are the only living species in the world that drink the milk of another species. Naturally, it is not right for adult people to drink milk. To a famous American scientist: “Is milk useful; Is it harmful?” they asked. The American scientist replied: “Yes, it is very useful, but for calves.” Starting from the 1950s, based on the assumption that milk is a very useful food, many countries, especially the United States, have started milk drinking campaigns. Within the scope of these campaigns, it is emphasized how beneficial milk is and it is recommended to drink at least five glasses of milk a day. Of course, these campaigns were largely financed by dairy institutes. In our country, these campaigns were carried out for a long time.

When we look at the content of milk, it can be thought that it is a very useful nutrient, especially because it is very rich in protein and calcium, but in fact, almost 70% of milk is water and since the total amount of protein and calcium is not very important, we can easily obtain them from other foods. Therefore, there is no need to drink milk. While counting the content of milk, we need to mention a very important item; It is milk sugar (lactose). The most important substance that meets the carbohydrate and energy needs of babies, however, is an enzyme called “lactase”, which is abundant in the intestines of babies, in order for this lactose to be digested and used as sugar. This lactase enzyme takes lactose and converts it into glucose and galactose, so that it is absorbed from the intestines and mixed with the blood. While the lactase enzyme is abundant in the intestines of infants, this enzyme begins to decrease over time. When it comes to adult age, it is observed that this enzyme decreases considerably.

What Is Lactose Intolerance?

Lack of lactose enzyme causes some problems with milk drinking in adulthood. This problem appears as “Lactose Intolerance” in adults who drink milk. Lactose Intolerance means sensitivity or intolerance to lactose. Adults who have lactase enzyme deficiency in their intestines and therefore have lactose intolerance may experience very serious discomforting conditions such as stomachache, nausea, gas and often diarrhea together with drinking milk. The reason for this is that lactose cannot be converted into glucose and galactose, as we have just mentioned, due to the deficiency of the lactase enzyme in the intestines, and as a result of the digestion of indigestible lactose by another group of bacteria in the intestines, gas is formed and some acid metabolic processes are formed. This situation causes some inconveniences.

Even nature tells us with these changes that come with age: “Enough, don’t drink milk anymore.” he means. Independent scientific studies show that milk has no significant benefits on human health in adults. On the other hand, it is known that some substances such as saturated fats and cholesterol, which are abundant in milk, have negative effects on health.

Is Milk Useful?

The relationship between milk consumption in adults and diabetes, cardiovascular disease and some cancers is still debated. Another interesting contradiction is that while milk consumption is thought to have very positive effects on bone health due to the high protein and calcium content in it, many studies do not confirm this situation. shows the In summary, milk has no place in human nutrition in adults. A very heartwarming picture has not been drawn for milk.

Dairy Industry

There are some ethical issues with milk production and they are really troubling. Advertisements for the dairy industry often depict cows happily grazing on lush meadows. The facts are very different. In industrial dairy production, cows must first become pregnant and then give birth in order to give milk. Right after the cow is born, its calf is taken away from its mother without sucking a single drop of milk. Females are fed separately to replace their mothers; The males are used in the production of dairy calves. The videos taken at the moment of separation of the mother cow and her calf are really quite sad. Industrial milk production is often the scene of some practices that disregard animal rights. Is milk friendly? the enemy? Now the decision is yours!