Drinking cow's milk is dangerous for your health, according to new study

It is not by chance that, for some years now, many nutritionists and specialized doctors have begun to warn about the risks of consuming cow's milk, before the existence of a greater number of people who have lactose intolerance and other types of health problems and related problems. In fact, we observe that the number of experts who are

Already in the United States in 2012 the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine (PCRM) sent a petition to the American government to withdraw milk from school canteens, since they consider it a mistake to think that milk strengthens the bones of children in growing age, mainly because drinking 3 glasses of milk a day would not actually contribute the minimum recommended amount of calcium, even defining it as an ineffective placebo. To which proteins and the same calcium present in this product of animal origin would be added, which would be difficult to assimilate by humans because it is biologically conceived to breastfeed animals of the same species.

From a nutritional point of view, the aforementioned is joined by the high content of both calories and saturated fats presented by milk and its dairy products, which would influence the appearance of type 1 diabetes when there is excessive consumption.

On this occasion we have known the results of a new scientific study, published in the specialized journal British Medical Journal, which concludes that Drinking more than 3 glasses of milk a day could pose a higher risk of premature death, as well as increased risks of bone fractures, especially in women.

The truth is that we are not faced with a small or small study, because to reach these conclusions researchers from the University of Uppsala (in Sweden), analyzed for 20 years the effects of milk consumption in a sample of 61,000 women between 39 and 74 years of age, and of more than 45,000 men between 45 and 79 years, whom they supervised for 11 years. In other words, in total a sample of 106,000 people was analyzed over two decades.

During these years, the team of researchers observed that the consumption of regular milk translated into greater chances of suffering fractures, while those women who drank more than three glasses a day (about 700 ml of milk) had twice as many odds of dying before than those who drank less than one glass a day.

And what would be the reason for the increased risk of premature death? According to scholars we find it in the galactose, a type of sugar present in cow's milk in large quantities, which according to other scientific studies could accelerate aging and shorten life.

If you are a woman, be careful with the high consumption of cow's milk

Specifically, those women who consumed three or more glasses a day had:

90% more risk of suffering an early death.
60% chance of having a hip fracture.
15% more chance of suffering bone fractures in general.

Compared to women who drank less than a glass of cow's milk a day.

These differences in mortality rates were not, however, very significant in men (compared to what was observed in women). In fact, about 20% of men who drank three glasses of cow's milk died over the next decade, compared to 18% of those who drank only one glass. There were also no differences in the rates related to bone fractures.

At the end of the period that the study lasted, 25,000 of the women analyzed had died, while 22,000 suffered some type of bone fracture.

On the other hand, unlike what has always been thought, research found that regular consumption of cow's milk increased the risk of bone fractures, which would clash with the popular belief that cow's milk is good for the bones. The reason is that although cow's milk does indeed contain calcium (although in less quantities than other foods of natural origin, incidentally), the fat present in it cancels the positive effects it provides.

Dairy products that would be healthier

According to those responsible for the study, the research has helped on the other hand to know what other dairy products would be healthy, whose consumption would be more recommended than cow's own milk itself.

And is that this study allowed to associate lower rates of both mortality and bone fractures with the consumption of derivatives such as cheese or yogurt.In these cases, as we commented previously, while the fat present in milk nullifies the positive effects of calcium present in it, low-fat dairy products would provide benefits both for bone health and to reduce the risk of heart attacks.

They also highlight the vegetable milks, made from seeds, cereals and nuts, equally rich from a nutritional point of view and, as we know from the results of the study, obviously much healthier than cow's milk. If you want to discover more about them, we advise you to read our notes about soy milk, almond milk, sesame milk, oat milk and pistachio milk.

More information | British Medical Journal / Article from Uppsala University (in Swedish)

Images | TMAB2003 / Robert & Pat Rogers / marimbajlamesa This article is published for informational purposes only. You can not and should not replace the consultation with a Nutritionist. We advise you to consult your trusted Nutritionist. ThemesMilk