Is milk good or bad? Why is it an often targeted food?
There are those who drink a lot of milk and those who prefer one of the many vegetable alternatives to milk, or because they follow a diet, for example, vegan or also because they believe that milk is bad for you. Beyond its theories and ideologies, milk is naturally good in right dose and quantity and if you are not intolerant It causes bloating to some: watch the video and discover the foods that cause bloating!
- Milk is good or bad: is it linked to cancer? Does calcium prevent osteoporosis?
- · Milk is good or bad: intolerance depends on the amount of lactose taken
- Milk is good or bad: modest quantities for the intolerant
- Milk is not bad: preferably partially skimmed or not in excessive quantities
Is milk good or bad: is it linked to cancer? Does calcium prevent osteoporosis?
Therefore, some are convinced that milk does not bring any benefit, indeed it is bad for health. Let's try to understand if it is true and why.
Can milk really promote cancer? Is calcium needed for bones and to prevent diseases such as osteoporosis? These are hotly debated topics. For example, there has even been talk of the carcinogenic effect of casein in milk and its derivatives on the prostate and the endometrium. There should not be a connection with breast cancer. Some also argue that casein always gives both physical and physical dependence. psychic similar to that of opiate drugs. But are these foods really contributing to the case of cancer? Many of the researchers of the best universities in the world instead affirm the opposite of these accusations, which are not based on any scientific basis: for example, they believe that the milk is not harmful and contains vitamins, proteins and substances necessary and beneficial for the health of our body even in adulthood. An important center of cancer studies has confirmed, with the sharing of all world science, that there is no link between milk and its derivatives and ovarian cancer. Their work shows that milk taken in the right quantities could have a preventive effect in colon cancer. On the other hand, it could be risky as regards the risk of prostate cancer to follow a diet that is too rich in calcium (for example, more than a liter of milk a day). So it is always a problem of quantity.
If you limit yourself to 2 or 3 glasses of milk a day it absolutely does not harm your health. However, it is true that calcium is not only absorbed by milk, but also by broccoli and beans, for example; however, these foods cannot completely replace the calcium deriving from milk and its derivatives, which is absorbed more easily than that contained in other food products. The calcium contained in milk and its derivatives satisfies at least half of the necessary calcium needs of our body. Among other things, there is a clear connection between low calcium intake and bone fractures often due to the scarce presence of minerals. The effects of allergies, dermatitis and eczema, forms of asthma linked to the consumption of milk and derivatives, are not yet confirmed. Therefore, the fact that man unlike other mammals drinks milk after weaning is not a bad thing, but only a privilege of his genetic evolution. But is milk therefore good or bad? And its derivatives? What place do dairy products occupy among foods for proper nourishment of the organism? Let's dig into these points.
See also: Hot chocolate on a stick: delicious chocolate sticks to melt in milk!
Milk is good or bad: intolerance depends on the amount of lactose taken
Man is the only mammal who drinks milk in adulthood, because his mutations that have developed allow him to tolerate the lactose of milk and its derivatives as an adult. As we have said, this is not true for all human beings, as many of them still have an intestine that is still poorly adapted to the consumption of milk and its derivatives as adults and therefore suffer from lactose intolerance. If you suffer from lactose intolerance, you can consume some types of milk that are "delactosed", that is, they do not contain lactose, a sugar found in milk of animal origin.If you are not suffering from any lactose intolerance or allergy, it is advisable to consume fresh whole or semi-skimmed milk and foods containing lactose in quantities that are not excessive. There are differences between the various countries of the world as regards lactose intolerance. For example, in Italy 50% of the population is intolerant to this sugar. In the countries of Northern Europe this percentage is lower: it can reach 30 out of 100 cases. In equatorial countries and Southeast Asia, 90% of the population is intolerant. There are many human beings still not adapted to the consumption of milk, although there are significant differences from place to place. The consumption of milk and its derivatives enters the "diet of men" at an age more or less contemporaneous with the breeding of domestic animals and the cultivation of cereals. evolution. This revolution in nutrition took place in the cradle of the first civilizations and that is the fertile Crescent (Nile valley, Mesopotamia from the Greek μέσος, intermediate and ποταμός, river, ie in the middle of the rivers, namely the Tigris and the Euphrates), when man from hunter and fruit gatherer became shepherd, breeder and farmer. The milk of the animals he raised became his food.
Milk is good or bad: modest quantities for the intolerant
If a lactose intolerant person takes this milk sugar, he or she runs into problems mainly due to its fermentation; if lactose reaches the colon, it causes aerophagia and swelling in the abdomen and often other disorders such as osmotic diarrhea, always in the case of abundant quantities of lactose. When those who are not lactose intolerant stop drinking milk, for example, they become intolerant to this sugar, as it greatly decreases the production of lactase, the enzyme that breaks down lactose. Lactase deficiency causes disturbances, but the enzyme can be reactivated by taking milk in small quantities, perhaps skimmed, with a gradual increase in doses. lactose generates various ailments. But this "intolerance, unlike allergy", concerns the quantity of lactose and does not force those who suffer from it to completely eliminate milk and derivatives from their diet: it is only necessary not to exceed in consumption, in order not to cause unwanted effects. However, there are lactose-free milk products on sale, as well as the many types of delactosed milk. Less lactose is contained in cheeses such as pecorino, aged and fermented, of which even smaller quantities are eaten compared to fresh mozzarella, for example. In natural yoghurt, lactose and proteins are partially lightened during fermentation. Milk contains carbohydrates, proteins and fats. Proteins support physical fitness, as athletes know well, but the elderly should also make a balanced use of them, as they strengthen muscle mass.
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Milk is not bad: better partially skimmed or not in excessive quantities
According to some researchers, the calcium contained in milk remains fundamental in the prevention of osteoporosis, but current studies believe that this theory is not really valid, as milk and dairy products are foods with a lot of calcium, but also containing many animal proteins they facilitate the elimination of this mineral. Therefore, they would not be excellent foods for a real beneficial effect on the problem of osteoporosis, typical of elderly women. So pay attention to fats and proteins of animal origin. However, it should be considered that even if milk is not bad in itself, it is always one of the foods of animal origin rich in calories and fats, which it is always good not to overuse, as well as for meat. Furthermore, if you consume a lot of meat and a lot of milk and dairy products, as happens in industrialized countries in addition to the horrible way in which animals are treated in factory farms, there is also a social moral problem, namely that large territories are cultivated for the forage and not for food necessary for humans.
And now that you know a lot more about this food, you just have to choose whether to drink cow's milk or opt for one of the vegetable drinks that replace milk!
