Following birth, the infant mammal first receives colostrum from its mother, which has a darker colour than the later milk due to its different fat and protein content. Colostrum is better tolerated by the immature digestive system of the infant, and it encourages the digestive system to develop. This development makes it selective to potential allergens and helps begin the constant task of absorbing nutrients and eliminating wastes that is central to the life of the animal. Colostrum also contains antibodies (IgA, IgG, IgM), white blood cells, complement, cytokines, growth factors and other immune factors from the mother which are essential to protect the infant from pathogens in the environment.

Normal milk production soon follows that of colostrum and is the primary source of nutrition for the infant during a period of a few months to over a year. A mother’s milk contains the correct proportion of fats, carbohydrates and proteins as well as hormones, enzymes, vitamins and minerals necessary to optimise the infant’s growth for that particular species. Substitution with milk from another animal potentially presents problems for the human infant due to specific nutrient deficiencies, or infection in the case of raw milk, although commercial formulas are fortified to make them broadly equivalent. Nevertheless, goat’s milk has been used to feed human infants for thousands of years without problems, but it can be low in folate and vitamin B12.

Breastfeeding reduces the risk of the child developing asthma, autoimmune diseases, allergies ear infections, dermatitis and obesity. In the past, for women who could not breastfeed, a wet-nurse was employed to provide breast milk, but infant formulas take this place now and their make-up can vary considerably. Infant formulas contain whey, casein or soy as a source of protein, vegetable oils to boost fat content and lactose, as well as supplemented vitamins and minerals. Soy protein is substituted for casein in formulas made for infant’s who are allergic to milk proteins, but it is can be genetically modified, as are most vegetable oils, and these oils are poor substitutes for the normal fatty acids and saturated fats present in breast milk including GLA.

Milk has traditionally been a source of disease due to its ability to support a wide variety of pathogens such as Listeria monocytogenes, Campylobacter jejuni, Salmonella species, Brucella species, and Escherichia coli.[1] In the past many thousands of people died from contracting these diseases until refrigeration was developed and milk pasteurised. Pasteurisation involves heating the milk to the point where any pathogens in the milk are killed, unfortunately including the beneficial lactic-acid-producing bacteria. Nevertheless, pasteurised milk can still retain some of the more robust pathogenic organisms such as Mycobacterium avium subspecies paratuberculosis (MAP). Raw milk is only available by law in Australia in the form of certain imported cheeses (rochefort), and raw milk should only be consumed if you are aware of its source or have your own animals, because not all farmers are meticulous about hygiene. The benefit of drinking raw milk is that it has its full complement of enzymes and vitamins, something that is also adversely affected by boiling or microwaving milk.

Pasture-fed animals are the best source of milk which is still mostly the case in Australia. This is because feed-lot animals consume grains and soy-based protein which are loaded with pesticides residues and simultaneously devoid of omega-3 fatty acids. The quality of any animal-based product depends on its diet, so the type of farming is important. This involves considerations such as the farmer’s use of pesticides, artificial feeds as well as veterinary chemicals before we even consider processing, pasteurisation and the use of additives to cheapen and modify the product, or prolong storage life. The finished commercial product barely resembles the fermented-food products that our ancestors ate, foods which are associated with longevity and robust health.

Milk can be concentrated to make condensed milk or dried in order to make powder. Milk is also separated into its constituent parts in order to make butter, cheese, yoghurt and ice-cream, or fermented to make the drink kefir. While condensed milk and evaporated milk are simple products to manufacture, where some or most of the water content is removed, ice-cream is formed from milk and sugars such as sucrose and high-fructose corn syrup in a perfect addictive combination. This mixture is then combined with air to make a dense, appealing foam before being frozen. Skinny milk or low-fat milk have their nutritious cream removed and unhealthy carbohydrates added to improve the flavour. Other additives can be used to flavour milk or make enriched products, for example, omega-3 oils, vitamin D, or other ingredients depending on the current fad. Importantly, ice-cream and fad foods are associated with metabolic syndrome.

Yoghurt is prepared by heating milk in order to alter the milk proteins so that curds cannot form, then cultures of Lactobacillus bulgaricus and Streptococcus thermophilus bacteria are added to the milk to ferment it. Fermentation reduces the lactose content of the milk by turning it into lactic acid, which makes yoghurt more tolerable for those people with lactose-intolerance. This is a condition caused by a deficiency of the enzyme lactase, normally found in the villi of the digestive system, and is not an allergy or food sensitivity reaction. Lactase declines markedly after infancy, especially for African and Asian peoples, while some retain the ability to produce it long after weening. If you don’t have sufficient lactase the undigested milk sugar remains unabsorbed in the gut, encouraging fermentation, gas and bloating. Yoghurt can also be strained to make it thicker by removing more whey (hard-set), and it is often sweetened with sugar, reducing any benefit from the other healthy contents.

Any low-fat dairy product should be strictly avoided because good fats are replaced with fillers and flavours such as sugar, which actually encourage weight gain (fat does not make you fat, sugar does). They also contain emulsifiers such as carboxymethylcellulose and polysorbates which disrupt the gut bacteria and cause inflammation. Whole-milk dairy products may in fact have a beneficial role to play in the regulation of weight,[2] and in terms of your health in general. In a recent review of the literature the authors found that in the majority of studies there is no “association between the intake of dairy products and increased risk of cardiovascular disease, coronary heart disease, and stroke, regardless of milk fat levels.”[3]

Most people associate calcium with milk due to clever marketing by the dairy industry, and milk does contain minerals that are used for bone growth such as calcium, magnesium and phosphorus, as well as vitamins A and D. Unfortunately, drinking more milk to gain more protection against bone fracture is an unsupported claim because large studies of tens of thousands of people over decades show that there is no link between an increased consumption of milk (2 or more glasses per day versus 1 glass or less per week) and a reduced fracture risk.[4] In fact, it seems to be the opposite case, with an increased milk consumption slightly increasing fracture risk in women and men, as well as mortality and markers for aging such as inflammation and oxidation (due to D-galactose).[5] This finding does not include fermented milk products or cheese.

This means that you should actually drink less whole milk and instead consume fermented milk products as part of a nutrient-dense wholefood diet that is nevertheless rich in calcium and minerals sourced from non-dairy foods such as vegetables and legumes. Non-dairy products can also favourably influence bone mineral density such as olive oil.[6]

Furthermore, calcium supplements are currently not recommended due to the potential side-effects outweighing the insignificant benefits, such as a risk of developing kidney stones and heart disease.[7] Calcium supplements when taken alone or in combination with vitamin D have the same minimal benefit,[8] except perhaps in the Korean population where people cover themselves to avoid the slightest exposure to the sun and have, as a consequence, a poor calcium intake in the diet.[9] The current recommendation concerning calcium is not to take supplements at all but to obtain calcium from the diet,[10] and good diets for protection against fracture would be the traditional Mediterranean or Japanese diets.

This article is an extract from the eBook Milk, Allergy And Food Sensitivity In Alternative Medicine.

References:

[1] Committee on Infectious Diseases, AAP, 2014. Consumption of Raw or Unpasteurized Milk and Milk Products by Pregnant Women and Children. Pediatrics, vol. 133, Number 1, January 2014.

[2] Kongerslev et al. Milk and dairy products: good or bad for human health? An assessment of the totality of scientific evidence. Food & Nutrition Research, 2016, 60: 32527.

[3] Huth & Park. Influence of Dairy Product and Milk Fat Consumption on Cardiovascular Disease Risk: A Review of the Evidence. Adv. Nutr. 3: 266–285, 2012.

[4] Ferskanich et al. Milk, Dietary Calcium, and Bone Fractures in Women: A 12-Year Prospective Study. American Journal of Public Health, June 1997, Vol. 87, No. 6.

[5]  Michaelsson et al. Milk intake and risk of mortality and fractures in women and men: cohort studies. BMJ, 2014; 349: g6015.

[6] Liu et al. Olive oil in the prevention and treatment of osteoporosis after artificial menopause. Clinical Interventions in Aging, 2014:9 2087– 2095.

[7] Bolland et al. Calcium supplements and cardiovascular risk: 5 years on. Therapeutic Advances in Drug Safety, 2013.4 (5).

[8] Tai et al. Calcium intake and bone mineral density: systematic review and metaanalysis. BMJ. 2015; 351: h4183.

[9]  Kim et al. Calcium and Vitamin D Supplementations: 2015 Position Statement of the Korean Society for Bone and Mineral Research. J Bone Metab, 2015; 22:143-149.

[10] Reid, I. Should We Prescribe Calcium Supplements For Osteoporosis Prevention? J Bone Metab, 2014; 21:21-28.