Is Dairy Milk Bad for You?

Cow’s milk has long been a hero of our diets, told to provide us with strength and health. But the more we read and learn, the more we understand what’s really good for our health. And that’s got a lot of us questioning our childhood cereal-topper and beverage of choice.

It’s not necessarily that dairy milk is inherently bad; it’s more that it’s simply not designed for human consumption. Sure, milk is loaded with lots of beneficial nutrients like calcium and Vitamin D that can help kids grow strong. The flipside is that it’s also full of lactose and saturated fat, which are crucial for the development of healthy of baby cows, but usually lead to cramping and gas or much worse in adult humans (as any lactose-intolerant person will tell you).

Milk is not our enemy, rather an unexpected passenger on the human diet journey that used to save us from starvation but may no longer be necessary. Thankfully, we are not on the verge of dying out today, so we can take a step back and examine the role dairy milk plays in our diets and health.

Is Milk Good or Bad for You?

Farmer holds a glass of milk up in his barn in front of dairy cow.

According to the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, dairy milk and other related products are the primary sources of saturated fat in the average American’s diet. Unfortunately, saturated fats are known for their negative influence on health, as their overconsumption can cause type 2 diabetes, heart disease, and Alzheimer’s disease. Moreover, several studies have confirmed the contribution of saturated fat to cases of ovarian, breast, and prostate cancer.

Overall, consuming dairy can do adults more harm than good, especially as we age. Aging is usually synonymous with worrying about high cholesterol, which can lead to a host of other issues if levels go unmanaged.

In dairy products, saturated fats are often accompanied by cholesterol – a critical substance for the body to function (in small amounts), yet extremely dangerous when overstored. When you eat too many dairy products that contain both saturated fats and cholesterol, the risk of acquiring the aforementioned diseases is increased.

Dairy milk is the key ingredient in numerous dairy products like butter, ice cream, and cheese – which often contain no less than 70% of fat – so it’s important to watch your intake of these.

History of Cow Milk Consumption

The history of the relationship between humans and cow’s milk dates back thousands of years. In fact, we started consuming moo juice before our bodies were able to digest it even a little bit. But compared to how long humans have been walking the land, which is around 300,000 years, our consumption of milk is relatively new. Just 10,000 years ago, people did not drink milk or only did so on rare occasions.

The first humans that regularly drank milk were pastoralists and farmers in western Europe, trying the first taste just as cows were becoming domesticated animals. The white liquid turned out to be nutritious and kept people from starvation, especially in times of bad crops.

Although nutritious enough to get these farmers through tough times, milk was basically indigestible at first. Through continued consumption, people in certain areas actually developed their digestive tracts just enough to maintain their lactase enzymes into adulthood. It’s the lack of these enzymes, which are necessary for babies to digest their mother’s milk, that causes some people to suffer from lactose intolerance.

As these folks developed so-called “lactase persistence”, they could drink milk without negative side effects, unlike their lactose-intolerant counterparts. Science would later explain this abnormality as a mutation in certain parts of DNA responsible for controlling the lactase gene.

Today, the human species still hasn’t fully adapted to digest cow’s milk completely safely – and there’s no reason for it, actually. Except for humans, no other adult mammals consume milk.

Raw Milk vs Pasteurized Milk

Raw cows milk on a table outside in front of a grazing cow.

There are two “faces” of milk – raw and pasteurized. Before the beginning of the 20th century, all milk was consumed raw, or unprocessed. Introduced in the late 1800’s by Louis Pasteur as a means of killing harmful bacteria in wine, pasteurization wasn’t a legal requirement for milk produced in the U.S. until 1947.

In short, the pasteurization process involves heating milk to around 161.6°F (72°C) in order to kill all dangerous bacteria, molds, and yeasts. Pasteurization also prolongs milk’s shelf life up to 2-3 weeks.

Raw milk proponents argue that pasteurization decreases the health benefits and nutritional value of milk. They posit that since raw milk is completely natural it retains more vitamins, minerals, and fatty acids than processed milk.

Curiously enough, both raw and pasteurized milk are quite comparable in terms of their nutrient contents. Despite the fact that raw milk is believed to be more natural or has more nutrients and antimicrobials, most of these health claims are not supported by evidence, thus choosing pasteurized milk often seems like a safer bet.

The Pros & Cons of Drinking Dairy Milk

Glass of milk and jug sitting outside in the grass on a nice day.

Before we start our indictment against dairy milk, it’s only fair to talk about its benefits, ‘cause there are a few, despite all that negatives mentioned earlier. Aside from saturated fats and cholesterol, dairy milk actually has some important nutrients.

It’s common knowledge that dairy milk contains protein and calcium, two nutrients that are especially necessary for newborn babies and toddlers who don’t yet have strong bones and can be easily injured. On top of that, dairy milk is a nice source of vitamin D, riboflavin (B2), vitamin B12, potassium, phosphorous, and selenium.

Some antioxidants, such as beta-carotene and vitamin E, also found in dairy milk can help reduce inflammation and oxidative stress. The protein contained in milk is often called a “complete protein” as all essential amino acids – isoleucine, lysine, threonine, valine, etc. – can be found in this “liquid of life”.

Still, the consuming milk may not be all it’s cracked up to be when it comes to benefiting from the nutrients the white stuff contains. Despite the popular opinion that milk is a source of bone strength, it can actually wash calcium off of our bones. Because animal proteins release acid when they break down, and calcium is a classical acid neutralizer, our body can use calcium from the milk and its own stores to rid itself of this acid – essentially canceling out out the calcium ingested or even releasing more.

Another notable disadvantage of drinking dairy milk is that it doesn’t work for everyone – as evidenced by the 30-50 million Americans who are lactose intolerant. Because cow milk is not intended to be digested by the human body, many people’s response to the product is usually cramping, bloating, gas, nausea, and even diarrhea. Notably, the problem with milk indigestion worsens in older age as milk is most digestible by newborns, who cannot consume other food.

Milk can also cause acne, and for some, that’s a sentence worse than constipation. Oily, fatty, and sugar-high products are classic routes not only to obesity but also acne, and milk is one of such products.

For still others, consuming dairy milk can also contribute to various allergies, often accompanied by anaphylaxis and vomiting. All these consequences can be reinforced by hormones, injected into cows so they continue producing milk.

Why We Thought Milk was Good

Child in yellow hoodie pours milk into a bowl.

So, if milk is so clearly bad, why were we told to drink it since we graduated from bottle to sippy cup? First of all, good marketing has forced our parents to believe the “grow big and strong” narrative surrounding milk, a belief that many of us grew up with as our parents passed it on to us. Milk, just like orange juice, has long been marketed in the west as an irreplaceable part of the balanced morning meal. The picture of smiling families at the breakfast table is imprinted in people’s minds like the Bible’s doctrine.

Unexpectedly, the story begins during World War II. As soldiers needed more processed dairy products for sufficient nourishment, the government was forced to artificially increase the demand among civilians because farmers couldn’t produce enough milk due to low pay.

As the milk industry got a boost and women started working more away from home, milk became a convenient alternative for them to feed their babies. Overall, the combination of these factors led to the pervasive illusion of the royal place of milk in our diets. Now that government agencies and national dairy industry dictate the dietary guidelines for Americans, we cannot help but comply with milk omnipresence in our lives.

Natural Alternatives for Cow Milk

An assortment of non dairy milk choices.

Luckily, today’s food industry provides a growing selection of alternatives for people who chose to exclude milk from their diets. Most of the options are plant-based and have quite a few advantages.

Some of the first popular dairy alternatives are soy and almond milk. These milks have been on the market a long time, and are so ubiquitous that you’ll usually hear them requested more than moo juice while you’re waiting in the Starbuck’s order line. Other dairy milk alternatives include rice, coconut, and cashew milk.

The amounts of nutrients in each kind of alternative milk will vary from brand to brand, so pay a bit of attention to the nutrition label before you choose your fighter.

Soy Milk

The nutrition profile of soy milk most closely resembles cow’s milk as it offers a sufficient supply of protein, calcium, and vitamin D.

Almond Milk

Almond milk, on the other hand, is perfect for those who seek cutting calorie intake, because it’s made from ground almonds and water.

Rice Milk

Rice milk presents a neutral-taste alternative, especially for those who don’t like the taste of cow milk.

Coconut Milk

Coconut milk is one of the newest additions to the “family”. Having a creamy and sweet taste, it offers a significant daily intake of vitamins B12 and D, although it’s low in protein. Similar to almond milk, it’s suitable for people on diet.

Cashew Milk

Like coconut milk, cashew milk is also a new alternative to cow’s milk. Cashew milk is nicely packed with calcium, vitamins A, D, and B12.

Don’t Have A Cow Man

Cow making a funny face popping its head out on the side of the photo.

Drinking milk is essential for us as little creatures who have just entered the world. But the older we get, it may be necessary for us to cut ties with this vital liquid.

Milk is not supposed to be a lifetime dietary staple, and our gradual transition to a plant-based milk alternative could not only save thousands of cows but also our own health. If giving up the white stuff isn’t for you, you don’t have to jump off cow milk completely – even a slight departure can be just enough.