Harvard Expert: Lose The Milk

[beforewisdom]

http://www2.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/News+Pictures+Week+2007+February+15+005tMoKpuHyl.jpg

 

The Los Angeles Times recently published an article about how many mainstream experts, health advocacy groups and scientists are criticizing the USDA Dietary Guidelines. Surprisingly, these non-vegan mainstream experts had a big problem with the guidelines recommending that Americans drink even more cow’s milk:

 

DR. WALTER C. WILLETT

Chairman of the Department of Nutrition

Harvard School of Public Health (Boston)

Author, “Eat, Drink and Be Healthy”

 

Also, the recommendation for three servings of milk per day is not justified and is likely to cause harm to some people. The primary justification is bone health and reduction of fractures. However, prospective studies and randomized trials have consistently shown no relation between milk intake and risk of fractures. On the other hand, many studies have shown a relation between high milk intake and risk of fatal or metastatic prostate cancer, and this can be explained by the fact that milk intake increases blood levels of IGF-1, a growth-promoting hormone. The justification for drinking three glasses of milk per day on the basis of increasing potassium intake is also not valid as the extra calories, even with low-fat milk, would easily counterbalance the benefit of the extra potassium. Also, the recommendation for people of all ages to drink three servings of milk per day is very radical and would double dairy production if adopted; this would have huge environmental impacts that would need to be considered.

 

 

 

 

http://www.latimes.com/news/health/la-he-dietary-guidelines-reaction-20100628,0,6063949.story

[Zerh]

A century ago, in France, we used to produce too much wine. The governement didn't knew what to do with all this wine. So they advertised everywhere: "Science proves that you need to drink three liters of wine per day to stay healthy"

True story.

I guess history DOES repeat itself.

[beforewisdom]

Hi Zerth;

 

That is very interesting. Where did you learn about it? It would be even more interesting to learn how it stopped. Did people just get sick of chugging wine or did the recommendations become so ridiculous that people stopped paying attention to them?

 

I don't think anyone in the US tries to chug 3 glasses of milk a day based on the USDA recommendations.

 

I think most Americans don't like milk all that much. I think most of the dairy industry sales are driven by cheese, yogurt, ice cream, dairy as ingredients in other things and possibly milk used for cereal.

[Ducati]

I used to drink a ton of milk as a kid. I really though it would make me healthier. Just made me fatter. If I had a ton of money, I would love to take the Dairy Council to court for the obese childhoods of countless people. I think if you had enough money, one could win, but it would probably take hundreds of millions of dollars.

[Zerh]

@Beforewisdom

 

That was part of my nutrition classes, currently doing a master degree in food science.

I don't know a lot more about it - Excepted that people often quoted Pasteur who said that wine is the healthiest drink known to man - that guy was a genious and we owe him much, but as a lot of scientist he could be plain wrong.

 

I heard somewhere that 1:4 to 1:3 of all milk produced in the USA was drank in milk-shakes.

 

But this apart, it is really impressive how milk is used almost everywhere in the industry. Protein powder is a great stabilizer, for example. Lactose is used in pharmaceutical industry. You can also extract lactoserum, milk fat, ect ect. Overall, the milk industry is the most developped technology in the food industry.

[Ducati]

@Beforewisdom

quoted Pasteur who said that wine is the healthiest drink known to man

 

 

Yeah, but he was hammered when he said it.

[pazios2002]

http://www2.pictures.gi.zimbio.com/News+Pictures+Week+2007+February+15+005tMoKpuHyl.jpg

 

The Los Angeles Times recently published an article about how many mainstream experts, health advocacy groups and scientists are criticizing the USDA Dietary Guidelines. Surprisingly, these non-vegan mainstream experts had a big problem with the guidelines recommending that Americans drink even more cow’s milk:

 

DR. WALTER C. WILLETT

Chairman of the Department of Nutrition

Harvard School of Public Health (Boston)

Author, “Eat, Drink and Be Healthy”

 

Also, the recommendation for three servings of milk per day is not justified and is likely to cause harm to some people. The primary justification is bone health and reduction of fractures. However, prospective studies and randomized trials have consistently shown no relation between milk intake and risk of fractures. On the other hand, many studies have shown a relation between high milk intake and risk of fatal or metastatic prostate cancer, and this can be explained by the fact that milk intake increases blood levels of IGF-1, a growth-promoting hormone. The justification for drinking three glasses of milk per day on the basis of increasing potassium intake is also not valid as the extra calories, even with low-fat milk, would easily counterbalance the benefit of the extra potassium. Also, the recommendation for people of all ages to drink three servings of milk per day is very radical and would double dairy production if adopted; this would have huge environmental impacts that would need to be considered.

 

 

 

 

http://www.latimes.com/news/health/la-he-dietary-guidelines-reaction-20100628,0,6063949.story

 

 

that chick has great hair.

[chrisjs]

that chick has great hair.

Must be all the milk.