41 replies to this topic

[Shepard]

Yeah, we can get raw cheese here at Bruno's.

Mmm...Cheese.

[DukeNukem]

>>> I've gotten raw goat's milk for my family for years

By far the best choice if you're gonna drink milk.

Generally, I avoid dairy products altogether:

o Casein is a protein that may feed cancer development according to some studies. (You find this cheap protein used is many bodybuilding bars.)
o Pasteurized milk may lead to protein synthesis problems.
o Homogenization may also lead to health problems.
o Pasteurized milk can still contain certain dangerous bacteria that survives the heat, while all the good bacteria is killed.
o Too much saturated fat.
o Lactose -- some 50% of us are allergic to one degree or another.

Once you stop eating dairy, it is not missed in the least.

[kenj]

Is there some concern also that high intake of dairy may destroy the beta-cells in the pancreas?
The child medical journal Pediatrics mentions this, when discussing the intake in childhood: "early exposure of infants to cows milk protein may be an important factor in the initiation of the beta-cell destructive process" (Pediatrics, 1994), -
this "tear and wear" may not manifest itself into adult-onset diabetes until mnay, many years later; if we want to give ourselves the best odds to exceed a century, and improve our health span, milk is just not an option IMO.

Recently I read that milk also is linked to middle-ear infections (FWIW, if only my parents knew that, gosh!), inflammation, bleeding of the intestinal lining, anemia, and gastric disease.

[Shepard]

Is there some concern also that high intake of dairy may destroy the beta-cells in the pancreas?

I don't know, I wonder if this is just due to milk causing too much insulin release. I really don't know anything about breast milk, though.

Recently I read that milk also is linked to middle-ear infections (FWIW, if only my parents knew that, gosh!), inflammation, bleeding of the intestinal lining, anemia, and gastric disease.

Do you have any of these references on hand? I'm interested in what type of milk was tested (skim, 1%, 2%, whole).

[Mind]

There are many reasons for or against milk/dairy products. I just don't see it as the worst poison known to man - such as it is portrayed at times. When I take a look at the long view, a large fraction of human society has been consuming milk for at least a couple thousand years. If it was such a super-mega-bad-destructive poison for the human body, you would think humans would have stopped drinking milk or eating dairy products a looooooong time ago. Granted dairy products did change in the last century (no longer raw) but that still leaves quite a few decades of people consuming dairy - and yet life expectancy keeps increasing. If dairy was such a super-mega-bad-destructive poison I would expect to see a lot more people keeling over in their 30s and 40s.

One thing I noticed is that the percentage of people who are supposedly lactose intolerant keeps going up. Just a decade ago I remember the percentage as being 20%. Just a couple years ago it was 30%, now duke claims 50%. I'd like to see the studies. Is it real or is it just propaganda?

[Shepard]

One thing I noticed is that the percentage of people who are supposedly lactose intolerant keeps going up. Just a decade ago I remember the percentage as being 20%. Just a couple years ago it was 30%, now duke claims 50%. I'd like to see the studies. Is it real or is it just propaganda?

It seems the percentage for all minor inconveniences is going up.

[Brainbox]

One thing I noticed is that the percentage of people who are supposedly lactose intolerant keeps going up. Just a decade ago I remember the percentage as being 20%. Just a couple years ago it was 30%, now duke claims 50%. I'd like to see the studies. Is it real or is it just propaganda?

People in the third-world seem to consume more dairy products then ever. They do not have the 1000's year history of taking this stuff and might therefor not be selected for dairy tolerance?

[Grail]

I think that for Europeans and their decendents, the proportion of people who are lactose intolerant is really low, while for many Asian countries it is around 90%! This is apparently due to the long history of domesticating milk-producing animals in Europe and Central Asia.

[boily]

I finished up eating dairy products about 7 months ago after reading up on the subject. No problems, I would say my health has improved. IMO a good idea indeed, if longevity is one of your goals.

[mike250]

Percentage of people with lactose intolerance by race.

* 90-95% Oriental
* 15-25% Caucasian
* 70% African
* 50-55% Mexican
* 60% Jewish
* Up to 95% Native Americans

[DukeNukem]

Yes, the lactose tolerance percentages are definitely connected to whether a particular person's ancestors ate dairy. European descendants generally are the most adapted to lactose.

Still, dairy is an entirely unnecessary food group that, based on all I have read, is an overall net-negative when you compare all of the pros and cons.

[kenj]

Shepard, I read it in one of Michael Colgan's new books, - here's reference for the "allergic" recurrent ear infections:

http://www.ncbi.nlm....5&dopt=Abstract