It's udder confusion

[Guest guest]

From The Times: Is the white stuff good for us or should it carry a health warning? Our correspondent blows away some of the froth To write about milk is to take your life in your hands. There is probably no food that inspires more vehement accusations and counter-accusations than the white stuff. Some are bound to be aired again in the coming days during Food Allergy and Intolerance Week, as stories of bad reactions to milk are used to promote the oat, soya and rice alternatives available. In the blue

corner we have cow’s milk as a cause of hosts of allergies, heart disease and breast cancer, not to mention excess phlegm. In the red corner we have milk as intrinsic to bone health, and protective against cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Meanwhile, on the sidelines, there are those advocating organic milk as nutritionally superior. So should you aim for the milk moustache or never touch the stuff again? The way to find out is to speak only to those with no direct links with commercial organisations promoting any sort of milk, milk alternatives or therapies. So that’s what I’ve done. The UK is the sixth-highest consumer of fresh dairy products in the EU, getting through 129kg per head a year, a figure virtually

unchanged in a decade. Yet while sales of specialist cheese, yoghurts and yoghurt drinks have soared, milk has plunged by a third. Why? A perception that milk is fattening is one reason. It’s also an easy food to omit from the diet, which is just as well given the huge number of food scares surrounding milk. Nutritional valueLet’s start with the facts. The calcium content of milk is its big nutritional plus point. Calcium is vital to cell function and the health of skeleton and bone, and especially important for children and teenagers who need it for growth and bone mass. Teenagers need 1,000mg a day (a small glass of milk contains about 300mg), with the adult daily requirement dropping to 700mg; semi-skimmed milk contains 156mg per 100ml. Getting enough calcium throughout your life, and increasing intake as you get older, may slow age-related bone loss. Ah yes, say the milk detractors, but there are lots of other

dietary sources of calcium; dark-green veg, seeds and bread (which is fortified with calcium), for instance. True, but milk’s calcium is much more easily absorbed by the body. “You’d have to eat 16 portions of spinach to get as much calcium as your body gets from a 240ml glass of milk,” says Joanne Lunn, of the British Nutrition Foundation. Try persuading your truculent teen to eat 16 portions of spinach. The joy of milk for parents is that it’s surreptitious nutrition, a food that smuggles in protein and lots of B vitamins as well as calcium; for junior, usually in bowls of cereal (a double whammy since most cereals are calcium fortified). It’s also cheap; 81p a litre at Tesco, compared with £1.27 for a litre of soya milk. Even those who don’t quaff milk by the glass still get through a fair bit. “Add what you have in hot drinks, a matchbox-size piece of cheese and a low-fat yog-hurt and you’re at 600mg,” says Catherine Collins, the chief dietitian at St George’s

Hospital, London. And if you live in a hard-water area, a glass of Chateau Tap will add even more. What about the downside? Detractors say that calcium’s bone benefits are overstated. It’s true that calcium alone won’t do. A complex synergy of exercise, hormones and vitamin D are also required for tip-top bone health. CongestionThen there’s that phlegmy feeling you can get in your mouth from drinking milk. “That’s due to milk’s fat content,” says Collins. It has led many, especially those with asthma, to cut out milk in the belief that it creates mucus. But in an intriguing piece of research carried out by the University of Adelaide, milk drinking was shown not to be associated with increased mucus production in 60 brave volunteers deliberately infected with colds. Intolerance and allergiesWhat about the bloating and symptoms of intolerance that so many experience with

dairy and milk in particular? Dr George Lewith, who leads the Complementary Medicine Research Unit at Southampton University, is clear. “A few people have a bad time because of intolerance, but for most, it is safe and good nutrition.” Milk detractors say human beings are not designed to drink cow’s milk. In fact, humans are all born with the enzyme needed to digest the lactose present in human milk and in other mammal milks. Unusually for digestive enzymes it is produced in the gut. If our diets do not include milk after weaning (as in much of Asia), the body concludes that it is no longer needed, enzyme production ceases and intolerance develops. Milk intolerance usually becomes apparent by the age of 20, and the risk does not increase with age, though it can emerge temporarily if the gut lining is damaged by antibiotics or infection. True allergies are a different matter. “Milk allergy prevalence is highest in infancy, at about 5 per cent,” says Professor John

Warner, of Imperial College and a specialist in paediatric allergy. “But most of these infants get better spontaneously.” He says that parents who substitute with goat milk are giving something equally allergenic because the same allergens are present. Soya milk, he says, causes even more allergies. Does avoiding milk in pregnancy, during breast-feeding or in the first year help to prevent children developing asthma and eczema? “Women should eat a sensible balanced diet, not eliminating anything,” says Warner. “Weaning shouldn’t be delayed and should include diverse foods as these are more likely to lead to tolerance.” According to a long-running Finnish study, prolonged exclusive breast-feeding increases the risk of babies developing allergies. This adds weight to the belief that exposure to disease and bacteria at key points in early life are more important factors in determining the onset of allergies than milk. Breast

cancerBreast cancer rates are low in Japan, which is not a nation of milk drinkers, so people conclude that milk must be cancer-causing. But it is the saturated-fat content of our diets and obesity that’s the problem. People who develop cancer have higher blood levels of a protein called IGF1. Cows given bovine growth hormone (somatotropin) to increase milk yields have more IGF1 in their milk, as does milk from cows that have recently calved. Breast cancer cells contain IGF1, which leads you to conclude that drinking milk containing high IGF1 levels causes cancer. Sounds worrying, but let’s unpick this. First, growth hormone use in dairy cows is banned in Europe. Secondly, the evidence that IGF1 can survive eating and cross into the bloodstream is limited. In any case, even if it could, humans beings produce IGF1, too, with our gut alone churning out industrial quantities. Three pints of milk contain less than 1 per cent of the IGF1 produced by our gut.

Finally, humans vary in their level of IGF1 and in levels of a partner protein that mops it up. Some people are naturally always going to have higher levels than others. Since IGF1 has properties that prevent aberrant cells committing suicide, that may be the link, not milk. On the other hand, reviews of more than 5,000 cases of colon cancer suggest that milk drinking is protective. Heart disease and diabetesProfessor Peter Elwood, Professor of Epidemiology at Cardiff University, thinks that people who say there is a link between milk and heart disease have misread the evidence; it’s not the milk that’s the problem, but milk with too much fat. He points to an overview of the ten big cohort studies that cover this area (a cohort is a group of people whose health is followed over a long period). They point to milk protecting against cardiovascular disease, as despite causing a rise in cholesterol, the calcium reduces

blood pressure. Professor Elwood also says the Cardia study into the diseases that affected 3,000 young adults over their lifetime included data on dairy consumption and symptoms of the metabolic syndrome (obesity, high blood pressure, abnormal glucose control). Those who were overweight at the start were significantly less likely to develop the full metabolic syndrome the more dairy products they ate. Going organicIs organic mik better nutritionally? Yes, it contains more omega-3 fatty acids, but these aren’t as beneficial as those in oily fish. And you would have to drink gallons to benefit. Is there anything wrong with the dairy milk alternatives such as rice and soya milk? No, if you prefer to drink them, fine. Here’s the advice. If you like milk, drink it, but not too much of it (because too much of anything isn’t good) and choose skimmed or semi-skimmed. Get your kids to drink more. If you prefer the taste of

organic, fine. If milk upsets you, avoid it. Simple really. Vivienne Parry is a science writer and broadcaster. She is working on a new series of Am I Normal? for Radio 4 Healthy bones: cost of calcium 20p for a glass of milk £5.60 for 16 portions of spinach BOTH CONTAIN 300mg OF CALCIUM Is it an allergy? A true food allergy causes an antibody response, causing itching and swelling. Milk, peanuts and shellfish can cause true allergies. A food intolerance produces a less specific effect — unpleasant symptoms such as diarrhoea — because your digestive system doesn’t seem to be coping.Peter H

 

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[Guest guest]

So, why would you compare milk to spinach for calcium content? Spinach is hardly known for having calcium, as opposed to a whole load of other vegetable absed foods!!!

 

BB

Peter

On 21/01/07, peter VV <swpgh01 wrote:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

From The Times:

Is the white stuff good for us or should it carry a health warning? Our correspondent blows away some of the froth

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

To write about milk is to take your life in your hands. There is probably no food that inspires more vehement accusations and counter-accusations than the white stuff. Some are bound to be aired again in the coming days during Food Allergy and Intolerance Week, as stories of bad reactions to milk are used to promote the oat, soya and rice alternatives available. In the blue corner we have cow's milk as a cause of hosts of allergies, heart disease and breast cancer, not to mention excess phlegm. In the red corner we have milk as intrinsic to bone health, and protective against cancer, diabetes and heart disease. Meanwhile, on the sidelines, there are those advocating organic milk as nutritionally superior.

 

 

 

 

 

So should you aim for the milk moustache or never touch the stuff again? The way to find out is to speak only to those with no direct links with commercial organisations promoting any sort of milk, milk alternatives or therapies. So that's what I've done. The UK is the sixth-highest consumer of fresh dairy products in the EU, getting through 129kg per head a year, a figure virtually unchanged in a decade. Yet while sales of specialist cheese, yoghurts and yoghurt drinks have soared, milk has plunged by a third. Why? A perception that milk is fattening is one reason. It's also an easy food to omit from the diet, which is just as well given the huge number of food scares surrounding milk.

 

 

Nutritional valueLet's start with the facts. The calcium content of milk is its big nutritional plus point. Calcium is vital to cell function and the health of skeleton and bone, and especially important for children and teenagers who need it for growth and bone mass. Teenagers need 1,000mg a day (a small glass of milk contains about 300mg), with the adult daily requirement dropping to 700mg; semi-skimmed milk contains 156mg per 100ml. Getting enough calcium throughout your life, and increasing intake as you get older, may slow age-related bone loss. Ah yes, say the milk detractors, but there are lots of other dietary sources of calcium; dark-green veg, seeds and bread (which is fortified with calcium), for instance. True, but milk's calcium is much more easily absorbed by the body. "You'd have to eat 16 portions of spinach to get as much calcium as your body gets from a 240ml glass of milk," says Joanne Lunn, of the British Nutrition Foundation. Try persuading your truculent teen to eat 16 portions of spinach. The joy of milk for parents is that it's surreptitious nutrition, a food that smuggles in protein and lots of B vitamins as well as calcium; for junior, usually in bowls of cereal (a double whammy since most cereals are calcium fortified). It's also cheap; 81p a litre at Tesco, compared with £1.27 for a litre of soya milk. Even those who don't quaff milk by the glass still get through a fair bit. "Add what you have in hot drinks, a matchbox-size piece of cheese and a low-fat yog-hurt and you're at 600mg," says Catherine Collins, the chief dietitian at St George's Hospital, London. And if you live in a hard-water area, a glass of Chateau Tap will add even more. What about the downside? Detractors say that calcium's bone benefits are overstated. It's true that calcium alone won't do. A complex synergy of exercise, hormones and vitamin D are also required for tip-top bone health.

 

 

CongestionThen there's that phlegmy feeling you can get in your mouth from drinking milk. "That's due to milk's fat content," says Collins. It has led many, especially those with asthma, to cut out milk in the belief that it creates mucus. But in an intriguing piece of research carried out by the University of Adelaide, milk drinking was shown not to be associated with increased mucus production in 60 brave volunteers deliberately infected with colds.

 

 

Intolerance and allergiesWhat about the bloating and symptoms of intolerance that so many experience with dairy and milk in particular? Dr George Lewith, who leads the Complementary Medicine Research Unit at Southampton University, is clear. "A few people have a bad time because of intolerance, but for most, it is safe and good nutrition." Milk detractors say human beings are not designed to drink cow's milk. In fact, humans are all born with the enzyme needed to digest the lactose present in human milk and in other mammal milks. Unusually for digestive enzymes it is produced in the gut. If our diets do not include milk after weaning (as in much of Asia), the body concludes that it is no longer needed, enzyme production ceases and intolerance develops. Milk intolerance usually becomes apparent by the age of 20, and the risk does not increase with age, though it can emerge temporarily if the gut lining is damaged by antibiotics or infection. True allergies are a different matter. "Milk allergy prevalence is highest in infancy, at about 5 per cent," says Professor John Warner, of Imperial College and a specialist in paediatric allergy. "But most of these infants get better spontaneously." He says that parents who substitute with goat milk are giving something equally allergenic because the same allergens are present. Soya milk, he says, causes even more allergies. Does avoiding milk in pregnancy, during breast-feeding or in the first year help to prevent children developing asthma and eczema? "Women should eat a sensible balanced diet, not eliminating anything," says Warner. "Weaning shouldn't be delayed and should include diverse foods as these are more likely to lead to tolerance." According to a long-running Finnish study, prolonged exclusive breast-feeding increases the risk of babies developing allergies. This adds weight to the belief that exposure to disease and bacteria at key points in early life are more important factors in determining the onset of allergies than milk.

Breast cancerBreast cancer rates are low in Japan, which is not a nation of milk drinkers, so people conclude that milk must be cancer-causing. But it is the saturated-fat content of our diets and obesity that's the problem. People who develop cancer have higher blood levels of a protein called IGF1. Cows given bovine growth hormone (somatotropin) to increase milk yields have more IGF1 in their milk, as does milk from cows that have recently calved. Breast cancer cells contain IGF1, which leads you to conclude that drinking milk containing high IGF1 levels causes cancer. Sounds worrying, but let's unpick this. First, growth hormone use in dairy cows is banned in Europe. Secondly, the evidence that IGF1 can survive eating and cross into the bloodstream is limited. In any case, even if it could, humans beings produce IGF1, too, with our gut alone churning out industrial quantities. Three pints of milk contain less than 1 per cent of the IGF1 produced by our gut. Finally, humans vary in their level of IGF1 and in levels of a partner protein that mops it up. Some people are naturally always going to have higher levels than others. Since IGF1 has properties that prevent aberrant cells committing suicide, that may be the link, not milk. On the other hand, reviews of more than 5,000 cases of colon cancer suggest that milk drinking is protective.

 

 

 

Heart disease and diabetesProfessor Peter Elwood, Professor of Epidemiology at Cardiff University, thinks that people who say there is a link between milk and heart disease have misread the evidence; it's not the milk that's the problem, but milk with too much fat. He points to an overview of the ten big cohort studies that cover this area (a cohort is a group of people whose health is followed over a long period). They point to milk protecting against cardiovascular disease, as despite causing a rise in cholesterol, the calcium reduces blood pressure. Professor Elwood also says the Cardia study into the diseases that affected 3,000 young adults over their lifetime included data on dairy consumption and symptoms of the metabolic syndrome (obesity, high blood pressure, abnormal glucose control). Those who were overweight at the start were significantly less likely to develop the full metabolic syndrome the more dairy products they ate.

 

 

Going organicIs organic mik better nutritionally? Yes, it contains more omega-3 fatty acids, but these aren't as beneficial as those in oily fish. And you would have to drink gallons to benefit. Is there anything wrong with the dairy milk alternatives such as rice and soya milk? No, if you prefer to drink them, fine. Here's the advice. If you like milk, drink it, but not too much of it (because too much of anything isn't good) and choose skimmed or semi-skimmed. Get your kids to drink more. If you prefer the taste of organic, fine. If milk upsets you, avoid it. Simple really.

 

 

Vivienne Parry is a science writer and broadcaster. She is working on a new series of Am I Normal? for Radio 4

Healthy bones: cost of calcium

20p for a glass of milk

£5.60 for 16 portions of spinach

BOTH CONTAIN 300mg OF CALCIUM

Is it an allergy?

A true food allergy causes an antibody response, causing itching and swelling. Milk, peanuts and shellfish can cause true allergies.

A food intolerance produces a less specific effect — unpleasant symptoms such as diarrhoea — because your digestive system doesn't seem to be coping.

 

Peter H

 

 

 

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Mail Championship.