Dairy Consumption : Does it really do a body good, or are dairy products a leading cause of modern day health concerns?

Dairy Consumption : Does it really do a body good, or are dairy products a leading cause of modern day health concerns?

Victoria Vinci

Professor Pamela WIlliams

ENG 124

December 1, 2017

Abstract

With the growing rate of dairy alternative options worldwide is there still a place for regular hormone injected dairy coming from animals?  Why, if there are known links of dairy contributing to major modern day health concerns do the human population continue to pick up that gallon of milk and block of cheese at the local grocery store when other options that taste just as good are out there?  The FDA allows six hormones to be present in the human food supply, and these six hormones lead to obesity, early onset puberty for children, cancer, and male reproductive disorders, yet the government recommends three servings of dairy a day per person.

Milk, does it really do a body good, or are dairy products a leading cause of modern day health concerns such as cancer, diabetes, obesity, and cardiovascular disease, to name just a few.  Growing up children are taught how milk makes one big and strong, but have the recommended dairy servings suggested by the government been a lie, and are in fact harmful to the body? Is the human body in fact not supposed to be processing dairy products at all?  Could this be why according to numerous health and wellness research groups and publications such as Nutraceuticals World the rapid growth of dairy alternatives such as nut and grain products continue to skyrocket year after year?  The answer is yes. For the way dairy products are continually injected with hormones and chemicals, this leading to many health concerns, human digestive issues, and development in humans; dairy alternatives need to be talked about more, since they’re the future of the declining traditional dairy farm industry.  While the health benefits that come along with dairy can be found in other foods and beverages; the average human should switch to dairy alternatives, because there are endless options that taste just as good as regular dairy, cleaning dairy from one’s diet reduces major health risks, and overall it's just plain better for the environment and the human body.

The human population has been consuming and having dairy apart of their diet for over 8,000 years, but that doesn’t mean it comes without downfalls.  There is evidence out there proving that dairy consumption is in fact linked to human health concerns, because of the chemicals injected into the cows where a lot of the product originates from.  According to an article posted in The Iranian Journal of Public Health, “steroid hormones are very potent compounds in dairy foods, which exerting profound biological effects in animals and humans...Special concerns should be paid to the effects, which may occur during certain and sensitive time points including perinatal and

pubertal periods” (M.& R., 753, 2015).  This goes along with findings from Dr. Jennifer Landa, who’s published a piece on children’s health for Fox News, saying, recent studies have found children have been going through puberty earlier and earlier than years prior, and one of the reasons for this is all the hormones the FDA allows in the human food supply, dairy being one of the major components.  Some of the hormones the FDA approves of in human food are estradiol, estriol, testosterone, and preogesterone, these all being sex hormones that are known to accelerate the age at which puberty typically occurs.

These hormones affect the obesity epidemic as well.  “Estrogens are made and stored in fat tissue, increasing exposure in overweight and obese children” (Landa, 2012).  Numerous articles claim that estrogen makes one gain weight. If so, why is it injected into food, especially when obesity is such a major health concern among Americans?  According to The Journal of Dairy Science, estrogen is present in dairy products, and do affect the fat content in milk.  For example skim milk vs whole milk vs cream. Experts have proposed that “estrogen in milk may be responsible for increased cancer risk, male reproductive disorders, and adolescent weight gain”  (Pape-Zambito, 2533, 2010). The higher the milk percentage is, the more saturated fat that comes with it, and saturated fat has been linked to the number one killer of Americans right now, cardiovascular disease (Huth, 267, 2012).  None of these problems are worth the health risk of consuming dairy. They’re all not good for the human body, and can possibly be avoided by switching to non-dairy items such as coconut milk and almond milk cheese. All of which are lower in calories than cow’s milk, free of cholesterol, saturated fat, and are naturally lactose free, which a number of people, including myself, can’t digest lactose correctly anyway.  

Nutraceuticals World goes on to say, “The non-dairy milk drinks market has seen considerable development in recent years in the light of rising interest in lactose and

dairy-free options...Over 90% of dairy alternative drinks launched in 2015 were marketed on a health platform of some kind” ( Nuts, 2016).  This being because of new and more

research constantly coming out proving there are better and healthier options out there.   Just because one has been eating and drinking something their entire life and they’re used to it, doesn’t mean it’s good for them, their body, and the environment.  Yes dairy contains a lot of good calcium that the body needs, but dairy isn’t the only source where calcium is found. Calcium can be found in green vegetables, mineral water, and beans and legumes (Rozenberg, 2017).  All of which are healthier and lower calories options.

In an online video called Obesity in a Bottle : Understanding Liquid Calories and Nutrition by The Learning Zone Express, they express that due to the rise in popularity of soft drinks, energy drinks, and coffee drinks the demand for milk began to decline.  Milk couldn’t compete with soft drinks like it used to in recent years. So the dairy industry tried to reinvent itself by marketing sugary flavored milk drinks such as chocolate milk, strawberry milk, even mocha, and strawberry banana flavored milk in order to stay relevant.  But these drinks, marketed to be “healthier” since they’re dairy, just aren’t any better for the human body than the typical soft drink. In most cases these drinks have more than double the amount of calories and they’re loaded with sugar, saturated fat, and all kinds of other chemicals (Films, 2010).  This isn’t in anyway defending other types of beverages such as soft drinks, but with all the health concerns known and talked about, there are plenty of healthy and great tasting alternatives to flavored milk drinks. If one loves chocolate cow’s milk, why not grab chocolate almond milk instead? It tastes almost exactly the same, and the health benefits are incomparable to cow’s milk.  And the options are endless. For example I love hazelnut milk and pistachio milk. Each are creamy, and have their own distinct, but delicious flavor. The dairy industry is having a difficult time competing with all the alternatives out nowadays. It’s only a matter of time before people are educated enough to make the dairy free change. And it’s not just milk. It’s dairy alternative cheese, yogurt, ice cream; everything nowadays can be made dairy-free, and most wouldn’t even be able to tell the difference in taste and consistency.  

With the rise of countless diseases and health concerns, one would think the average person would try to do whatever available to avoid any type of health problem.  Especially when these health problems lead to a shorter lifespan. By decreasing and getting rid of dairy from one’s diet, one could possibly expand their lifespan and their quality of life, just from reducing or restricting dairy from one’s diet.  It’s not a guarantee that one will avoid health complications by switching to dairy alternatives, but it’s worth a shot. For each human on this Earth only receives one body, so why not be careful and take the best care of it? With so much information available to the average human, leaving dairy in the past is worth it when it means a better future.  It’s not about giving anything up by cutting dairy out of one’s life. It’s gaining a whole new realm of food options that are now readily available at all grocery stores, due to the popularity of dairy alternatives, and the incredible and countless health benefits that come along with them. Benefits that regular dairy just can’t compare to.

References

• Films for the Humanities & Sciences (Firm), Films Media Group, & Learning Zone Express (Firm) (Directors). (2010). Obesity in a bottle : Understanding liquid calories and nutrition[Motion picture on Online video].
• Huth, P. J., & Park, K. M. (2012). Influence of dairy product and milk fat consumption on cardiovascular disease risk: a review of the evidence. Advances In Nutrition (Bethesda, Md.), 3(3), 266-285. doi:10.3945/an.112.002030
• M., & R. (2015). Hormones in dairy foods and their impact on public health - a narrative review article. Iranian Journal of Public Health, 44(6), 742-58.
• Nuts & grains challenge soy for dairy alternative drinks: further growth expected with growing interest in free-from products as a lifestyle choice. (2016, May). Nutraceuticals World, 19(4), 14. Retrieved from http://link.galegroup.com/apps/doc/A453286262/HWRC?u=mlin_w_baypath&sid=HWRC&xid=d169f763
• Landa, J. Hidden Hormones can Bring About Early Puberty in Kids. (2012, October). Fox News. Retrieved from http://www.foxnews.com/health/2012/10/05/hidden-hormones-can-bring-about-early-puberty-in-kids.html
• Pape-Zambito, D. A., Roberts, R. F., & Kensinger, R. S. (2010). Estrone and 17beta-estradiol concentrations in pasteurized-homogenized milk and commercial dairy products. Journal Of Dairy Science, 93(6), 2533-2540. doi:10.3168/jds.2009-2947
• Rozenberg, S., Body, J., Bruyère, O., Bergmann, P., Brandi, M. L., Cooper, C., & ... Reginster, J. (2016). Effects of Dairy Products Consumption on Health: Benefits and Beliefs--A Commentary from the Belgian Bone Club and the European Society for Clinical and Economic Aspects of Osteoporosis, Osteoarthritis and Musculoskeletal Diseases. Calcified Tissue International, 98(1), 1-17. doi:10.1007/s00223-015-0062-x