This is a post about the Cow’s milk so many of us consume directly, or indirectly via its many byproducts. Is Milk a Wonder Food? .Well, the quick answer to this type of question is the ambiguous ”yes and no”, and that is the purpose of this post.
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Arguments for Yes Milk = Wonder Food
If available, human milk is absolutely the healthiest for human babies. But, while cow’s milk is not exactly like human milk, it is consumed by millions of people and children all across the globe, and is a major source of nutrition for many peoples.
Nutrition
HealthLine and other medical references I use, make these arguments about milk’s benefit to our health. First off, all the studies and research acknowledge that cow’s milk is a ”whole food”, meaning it provides 18 out of 22 essential nutrients (1).
It is a rich source of protein and calcium, as well as a variety of B-vitamins and iodine. The BBC adds: It also contains magnesium, which is important for bone development and muscle function, and whey and casein, which have been found to play a role in lowering blood pressure.
Even beyond that, it may come fortified with VitD and VitA.
Medical Benefits
Then, many writers focus on the benefits of the nutrients cow’s milk may provide.
- Milk may raise good HDL, which may in turn helps prevent heart disease and stroke.
- Milk is a good source of potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure.
- And if you consume milk and products from pastured or grass fed cows, you may be consuming more omega-3 fatty acids (and conjugated linoleic acid) to help your heart and blood vessels.
- Research shows that milk consumed by pregnant women may allow their children to have better bone growth and mass.
- Milk‘s calcium may protect our gut lining and reduce the risk of colon cancer or rectum cancer.
- Milk is fortified with VitD, which may support production of serotonin, a hormone people associate with mood, appetite, and sleep.
As I wrote about in the previous post, Global Role of Animal Milk, in many places animal milks may be the difference to improve malnutrition across the globe.
Arguments for Not a Wonder Food
Cows milk is absolutely the healthiest food for calfs. I happen to like the quote PETA has advocated to make the point: “if it’s not your mom, it’s not your milk”.
Milk Allergies + Sensitivities
Some babies, and many adult humans have milk-related allergies or sensitivities. In fact, as we age, we can actually develop lactose intolerance, causing bloating, gas and diarrhea (2). My previous post (Global Role of Animal Milks) speaks to this issue in more detail.
- 2-3 newborns out of 100 are allergic to their mothers milk.
- Globally: 65% of us cannot tolerate lactose as adults (3).
- 2018-2019: ~3.9M Americans had allergic responses to cow’s milk and milk products (3).
Cow’s Milk Studies + Research
There are numerous studies that show a relationship between consuming cow’s milk and medical issues such as cancer, inflammation, and risks for heart disease and stroke. Here are just a sampling:
- Milk and cheese have links to an increased risk of prostate cancer.
- 8oz glass of milk has ~24 mg cholesterol, while plant milks have none.
- Non-organic milks can be high with Bovine Hormones + Anitbiotics leading to human susceptibility to bacterial infections; this is especially true in industrial dairy farming, and in different parts of the world.
- Milk and products are full of saturated fats which is associated with increases in bad LDL cholesterol, which in turn increases risk for heart disease and stroke (4).
- Despite industry claims of milk as a diet supportive liquid, a study of more than 12,000 children showed that the more milk they drank, the more weight they gained (5).
- Milk plays a part in inflammation, leading to issues like acne.
- NutritionStudies: Cow’s milk protein may play a role in triggering type 1 diabetes through a process called molecular mimicry[6].
- Across countries, populations that consume more dairy have higher rates of multiple sclerosis[7].
- In interventional animal experiments and human studies, dairy protein has been shown to increase IGF-1 (Insulin-like Growth Factor-1) levels. Increased levels of IGF-1 has now been implicated in several cancers[8].
Research is Really Mixed
Even though “calcium” is noted as crucial during adolescence for developing bone strength, and for women to maintain bone density as we age, studies show no significant decrease in risks of fractures from drinking milk (9).
Cows are milked only during times they are pregnant or just after giving birth, when they have high estrogen levels. A review of research seems to show no concern, since the levels are not noted as high enough to have significant impact. But one study linked milk’s estrogen levels to breast, ovarian and uterine cancers.
NutritionStudies: A large observational cohort study[10] in Sweden found that women consuming more than 3 glasses of milk a day had almost twice the mortality over 20 years compared to those women consuming less than one glass a day. In addition, the high milk-drinkers did not have improved bone health. In fact, they had more fractures, particularly hip fractures. Interestingly, the study also found that fermented milk products (cheese and yogurt) significantly decreased mortality and fractures among these women.
Dairy Milk Choices
In the USA we have many cow’s milk choices.
- Cow Milk: 8oz = 1 Cup
- Full Fat Milk: 149c, 12k, 7.7p, 0f, 12 sugar, 105mg sodium (11)
- Creams: Heavy Cream, Whipping Cream, Half-n-Half, Sour Cream, and Buttermilk.
- Organic Milk: The USDA sets the standards for organic dairy farming. to produce organic milk. From what cows eat to how farmers care for cows.
- Raw Milk: Raw milk comes straight from the cow and is not pasteurized. Although available across the globe, it is not as readily available in the USA due to federal laws, and governmental concerns expressed by the FDA and the CDC.
- Flavored Milk: usually chocolate or strawberry, but I have heard that banana milk is trending.
Dairy Farming’s Environmental Impacts
The environmental impacts of the larger, industrial dairy farms are significant. Yale used USDA statistics to conclude that >50% of USA milk is now produced by 3% of the dairies, and those industrial farms have more than 1,000 cows each. The very largest U.S. dairies now have 15,000 or more cows. The impacts go deeper than just stinking up a region with, at times, toxic air.
- WWF: Dairy cows and their manure produce greenhouse gas emissions which contribute to climate change.
- Poor handling of manure and fertilizers can degrade local water resources.
- Each cow produces on average 37 kilos of waste every single day.
- USDA: Waste from 200 cows produces as much nitrogen as a town of 10,000 people.
- The issue is if not treated properly, this waste will contaminate local drinking waterways and aquifers. and soil.
- Unsustainable dairy farming and feed production can lead to the loss of ecologically important areas, such as prairies, wetlands, and forests.
Water Use
Some special comments should be made about water-specific environmental impacts.
- Natural News writes it takes ~2,000 gallons of water to produce 1 gallon of cow’s milk.
- SientiantMedia writes that approximately 1,410,000,000 liters of water every single day that is being used to hydrate dairy cows so they can produce milk.
I am assuming these rather large water use counts includes hydration of cows (what they drink), water used to grow their food crops (irrigation and rainfall), sanitation (cleaning stalls and barn areas), and milk processing (like cooling). But, it should be mentioned that growing plant milks also can take lots of water, especially if you count regional rainfall.
Counter arguments and calculations, that exclude actual rainfall, can bring these large counts down to less than 500 gallons of water per 1 gallon milk, depending upon location and effects of global warming. From my perspective, counting rainfall in the calculations of how much water it takes to produce 1 gallon milk is proper; however, it should be footnoted so that actual comparisons to plant milks are accurate.
My Cow Stories
I respect cows and know they can be very loving and sweet, but also I have been chased, stepped on, and kicked by cows. They are independent creatures, with their own likes and dislikes, fears and comforts.
- My experience with cows and milk has to do with working on a very small farm, milking cows twice a day. Once was early in the morning. We’d get up, eat a breakfast of deli meats, bread, butter and a cup of coffee. Then out in the cold to milk the cows, send them to pasture, and clean the barn. Then, eventually, back to the kitchen for a real, warm second breakfast.
- Cleaning the barns and stalls of horses, cows, pigs, etc., is a messy but important job that involved pitchforks, shovels, wheelbarrows, water hoses, and a broom. Once clean and dry, we’d break apart bales of plant materials and cover the stalls again. During this time, some cows might wander back into the open stalls, and one day, one stepped on me as a way to urge me out of the space. (Damaged my toe so bad, I still live with the results.) I learned to hand-milk on this cow, and I figured she never forgave me for those newbie mistakes I made.
- At one point, living in a small farming community, my Oma sent me to walk down to the dairy farmer to get a liter of milk. I would pay for the milk, and it would be poured from the smaller collection tank they used for locals. The warm milk would be poured into my metal liter container and I would walk back home, trying hard not to trip and spill.
- On one of those trips, Oma sent me with a smaller jug to buy cream, and when I returned she had me churn butter. I do not remember all the details, but I clearly remember how it seemed to take for ever, and how my arms and chest hurt. The result was butter, and buttermilk which she turned into quark (which is probably why I like cottage cheese).
- One winter a bunch of us kids were on our wooden + metal sleds riding behind the “honey wagon” (at that time and place, this was slang for a tank of cow urine used to spray on the fields especially in winter) that was headed out to the fields.
- Each person grabbed the sled in front of them until we had a long line. I was the last in the chain, so was whipping to the left and right as the kids up the chain moved about much less. Once at the top of the hill we would let go and slide back down toward the village. One of the last rides, I got a good wind and headed down the slope very fast, went farther than anticipated and wound up on a partially frozen little pond of collected “honey” (aka cow piss). Everyone stopped and watched as I tried to slowly work my way back to land. Well, it started to crack. All I remember now is when I got home, Oma would not let me in the house, and hosed me off on the ice covered porch.
- I was a teenager, and decided to have a nice picnic on a nearby alpine meadow in Oberammergau, Germany where I lived. Unintentionally, I happened to somehow piss off a lead cow, in their territory. This resulted in me being chased down the German alps by murderous dairy cows. The lead cow’s bell clanging away, intent on picking a fight with me after tearing apart my little picnic. They were fast moving, but I had fear motivating me so got to the village sooner. The farmers I passed along the way could not help me, as they were laughing too hard.
Ok, that last story is a bit exaggerated, but only slightly!
—Patty
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A Personal Note
Historically, I have consumed cow’s milk and many derived products, and have had a preference for the Straus Family Creamery brand. However, I am augmenting my dairy consumption with specific plant milks now, as my research for this series has convinced me that cow’s milk is not as beneficial as the dairy businesses marketing and lobbying machines would have me believe. But I do plan on continuing to consume animal milk, certain cheeses, yogurt, and butter in limited amounts. Bottom line, since I am neither a child, nor am I reliant on dairy for access to complete nutrition, I now will drink and cook with more plant-based milks.
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