Is Milk Really Good For You? Here's What Scientists Say

As children, we were often told how milk helps us grow bigger and stronger. While this may be true, at some point scientists, say that milk isn't the superfood we've all been made to believe.

Christopher Gardner, a nutrition researcher, and professor from Stanford Prevention Research Center, says, "Calcium is easier to get from milk. You can get calcium from lots of other things.' He adds that not everyone should have their fill of dairy products, especially since there are linked risks to excessive milk drinking.

What We Were Told About Milk

For as long as we've lived numerous times, have we been told that milk and dairy products are good sources of calcium, Vitamin D, and Potassium. In the 1940s, the federal government guaranteed that milk is a path to strength, happiness, and health.

Dairy, up to this day, is featured prominently on the federal governments My Plate guide. Both the Department of Health and Human Services and the U.S Department of Agriculture says that three glasses of milk is an essential part of your daily meals.

Despite being told that dairy is the best way to achieve daily calcium requirements, scientists say it's more complicated than it seems.

Bone Health

Evidence shows that milk does increase height in children. Mostly due to its design to induce rapid growth it cows to avoid predation.

However, recent reviews published in the New England Journal of Medicine by researchers from Harvard University say milk may not be a magic bullet for strong bones. Evidence shows that countries with the highest milk consumption also had the highest rates of hip fractures.

Although milk did not cause their fractures, it paints milk consumption in a new light.

David Ludwig, a co-author of the review, says, "For every additional serving a day of milk, a kid grows maybe an extra centimeter. And the tallest statue is at higher risks of bone fracture". Hence, despite the ability of milk to help kids grow, those elongated bones are more likely to break.

Lactose Intolerance

Milk may not be an essential part of diets as seen before, considering the rates of lactose intolerance.

According to estimates in the Lancet journal, roughly 36% of Americans can't fully digest lactose--the organic sugar in dairy products. Although not everyone experiences the full symptoms of lactose intolerance, it may cause discomfort, bloating, and stomach pain.

Outside of the U.S, lactose intolerance rates increase up to 65% of the global population largely due to ancestors not developing genes that allow them to digest milk in adult years.

Walter Willet, a co-author of the study, explains that milk consumption is more of a Northern European tradition with some nomads such as Maasi and Mongolian that do not consume dairy.

Despite researchers noting the nutrients in plant-based milk, they are often similar to dairy milk. In general, there is nothing special about milk products. Harvard's Nutrition Source highly recommends more effective calcium sources like winter squash, tofu, leafy greens, and edamame.

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