In the latest research it is the ONLY food that protects against metabolic syndrome/diabetes. Neither fruit, vegetables, nor fish provided any benefit – which is extroadinary.

”When Steffen and colleagues analyzed the results by specific foods, they found that meat, fried foods and diet soda were all significantly associated with increased risk of metabolic syndrome, but consumption of dairy products was beneficial’.

”Fried foods and soda were also found to present the same dangers, while a diet based on vegetables, fruit, and fish did not show advantageous effects on such a condition. However, dairy products (my insert, that is PASTEURIZED dairy) proved to have some benefits”.

http://www.foodnavigator-usa.com/news/ng.asp?n=82742&m=1FNU123&c=mdwytyoturbjxro

”Elwood and co-workers report that a daily pint of milk (that is, standard PASTEURIZED milk) was associated with a 62 per cent risk reduction, while regularly intake of other dairy produce reduced the risk by 56 per cent.”

http://www.foodnavigator.com/news/ng.asp?n=78126&m=1FNE712&c=mdwytyoturbjxro

Sure, its probably much better if milk is fermented and raw – and certainly better if it comes from grass-fed cows, but that does not preclude normal, pasteurized milk being health beneficial. The evidence Dr Mercola refers to suggests that full cream milk (that is, pasteurised, full-cream milk) protects against prostate cancer, whereas pasteurized skimmed milk increases the risk of prostate cancer. The logical conclusion from this is as follows:

1. Pasteurization per se has little or no discernible effect on the cancer-protective abilities of full cream milk.

2. The protective effect of milk fat is more likely related to its relationship with the fat-soluble vitamins, A,D, E and K.

Sure, the lack of vitamin D in non-fat or skimmed milk may adversely affect the bioavailability of calcium, which may have an adverse effect on protecting against prostate cancer. But its an indirect effect.
Likewise vitamin A can protect against cancer – eg, bladder cancer, and vitamin K has seriously good cardio-protective capabilities – albeit I will stick to parsely or spinach as my preferred source.

In any event, it suggests Mary Enig might have been right all along in promoting some measure of saturated fats, including milk fat – albeit for other reasons (the destruction of important milk enzymes) she is strongly pro RAW milk.

And there are the obvious benefits of whey and other milk proteins, and probiotic, fermented milks. And as far back as 1993, Japanese researcher Ariyoshi, Y. identified angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors in milk proteins.

Time and space does not permit to expand further, but suffice to say, there is more to milk than meets the eye. This obsession in some quarters with raw milk – for all its probable benefits, should not diminish from the value of plain, ordinary pasteurized milk and dairy products.

Pete Granger
Australia

Any follow up info on the whether betacellulin is mostly in the whey portion of milk? I don’t drink milk but I do consume protien supplements such as whey and casein, so I’d like to know.

Thanks

Hi Bryan–

MRE

Anlässlich des ‘Tags der Milch’ den in der Schweiz der Interessenverband der Milchhersteller zu seinem 100jährigen Bestehen ausgerufen hat, gibt es im Kochtopf-Blog einen Event, der die Foodblog-Welt auffordert, ein Milchrezept zu bloggen und damit …

As far as I know, humans started drinking milk around 8,000 years ago, which is very little time on an evolutionary time basis.

Many people around the world suffer from lactose intolerance, which means that a large number of people didn’t develop the necessary genetic adaptations to this type of food.

There are some studies (mainly in Northern Europe) that show a correlation between cow’s milk and Type 1 Diabetes.

There’s also some animal data and some human interventions showing a possible connection between some proteins in bovine milk and Reumathoid Arthritis.

When it comes to food allergies, casein is one of the top proteins to be pointed out. And cow’s milk protein is 80% casein and 20% whey (human milk proteins is 20% casein and 80% whey).

Being a high calcium food, high milk consumption can easly set the calcium/magnesium ratio to a dangerous level and studies have shown a reduction in plasma vitamin D levels after milk consumption (specially skimed milk). This is probably the reason that some studies have shown an increased risk of prostate cancer with a high milk diet.

All this and the fact that my chronic sinus and high mucus have almost completly disappeared after I stopped eating dairy products, leads me to conclude that cow’s milk is for small cows and human milk is for babies.

Nevertheless, there are some points to be made, when it regards to whey protein:

The whey fraction in milk is rich in betacellulin and it stimulates insulin to a grater extent than what is desirable (a small study has shown an increase in insulin resistance in a group of children that were fed a high milk diet as opposed to a high beef diet).
Nevertheless, whey is rich in glutamylcystine, a very stable and an easy to get inside the cell form of cysteine, which is a precursor of glutathione, and low glutathiione levels have been implicated in overtraining, cancer, Hepatitis, AIDS, Parkinson, Cystic Fibrosis and Sarcopenia (lost of muscle mass).

As much as 20 grs a day of whey protein concentrate appears to be enough to increase glutahione levels in healthy people, and that’s what I take everyday for the past 4 years.
Some studies have shown that whey protein is benefecial for people that suffer from low glutathione levels.

I think Dr. Cordain has a done a great job interpreting the research and this article should be published in a scientific journal, because, as far as I know, he’s the first scientist to talk about this.

I can provide scientific references to everything I said, except the mucus link.

P.S: Sorry for my lousy english, but I’m portuguese

Hi Pedro–

What lousy English? It’s perfect.

Great comment.  I agree down the line, especially about the whey and glutamylcystine, which is why whey is such an immune enhancer.

Thanks for writing. 

Cheers–

MRE 

My wife is suffering from infertility because of endometriosis in her reproductive system. I have read somewhere on the internet that milk especially cow milk is suspected to cause infertility. I must confess my wife is fond of milk – in fact she enjoys having a glass of milk before she leaves for school where she’s a teacher. We are from India and we obtain our milk from the government dairy – that are pasteurised, safe and is delivered in pouch.
Now could you substantiate this theory as my wife is quite upset when I told her that she needs to give up on her milk. Milk is a rich source of vitamin and other essential minerals. She is keeping good health without being obese at all. Its only her infertility problem that comes in the way of her having her own baby and she feels she is not complete as a woman as such. So I appeal to anyone of the esteemed and learned faternity to throw light on this subject. Thank you in anticipation.
Somik

Hi Somik–

I have never heard the theory that milk causes infertility, so I can’t really comment.  If anything in milk would be problematic, it would be the hormones given the cows to make them produce more milk.  If she used organic, non-hormone milk, she shouldn’t have a problem from the milk.  The pasteurization doesn’t get rid of the hormones, so you’ve got to make sure it’s hormone free, not just pasteurized.

Best–

MRE 

Hi athelstan–

I’ll check with Loren the next time I talk to him and get the definitive answer.

Best–

MRE

Erythritol has about 75% the sweetness of of sugar, so I usually boost it with some sucralose and/or stevia. Lately I’ve also been throwing in a few teaspoons of inulin, which seems to add some extra creaminess.

Dave

There you have it from the horse’s mouth.

MRE 

Cheers,
Anna

Hi Anna–

Maybe Dave will let us in on his secret.  I asked MD how she makes hers so smooth and creamy, and she told me that she uses polydextrose to replace some of the bulk of the sugar.

Happy New Year–

MRE 

I do think that Prof. Cordain overstated things in the article’s title “Hazards of Milk”, as well as the subtitle “Another reason not to drink your milk.” It smacks of episodes like the big scare about salt, eggs, etc. I also think it’s important to not get sucked into the idea that “food X contains component Y; Y, when taken in isolation, has effect Z; therefore food X has effect Z.” And again, quoting studies on the correlation of dairy intake and various cancers is fine, but some quantitative assessment of risk is called for. There’s a correlation between breathing and cancer as well, but of course there’s also some risk involved in giving up breathing.

Beyond that, the article is well thought through, and Cordain’s conclusion strikes a more reasonable note: “Milk, indeed, may not be good for everybody, particularly cancer patients or those with a family history of cancer.” It’s more in line with the level of evidence, and at least speaks a little bit to the level of risk.

And, yes, my grass-fed ribeye and brie was fantastic. Hopefully the grass-fed wholesomeness in the steak offset whatever incremental cancer risk was in the cheese.

Humorous side note: when we have guests and serve this kind of menu (including aforementioned steak with cheese sauce, Southern greens, mashed celeriac, and home-made sugar-free ice cream), we get comments like “I couldn’t eat this all of the time, I’d weigh a ton!” Of course, then I have to tell them that I lost 70 lbs. eating precisely in this manner. More often than not my guests look at me like I need (or am on) medication. I’ve tempted a few, however, to take the plunge, and surprise surprise, they too lost weight, kept it off, and felt better than they have in years.

Dave

Hi Dave–

What’s that old saying?  Sell the sizzle, don’t sell the steak.  I think that’s what Loren was doing with his title: selling the sizzle.

I agree with your comment 100%.  And I also enjoy having people to dinner at our house and fixing (having MD fix) a load of low-carb food that everyone swoons over.  As you’ve observed, they always say something along the lines of, if I ate this way all the time, I’d weight 300 pounds.  We tell them that we do eat this way all the time, and, in fact, we’ve written multiple books about it.  Sadly, it still doesn’t register with everyone.  We still have folks that tell us, it’s great to eat like this, but I just couldn’t give up my bread (or pasta or cereal or fill in the blank with some other high-carb food).  I’m always flabbergasted.  But as Simon, one of my frequent commenters, would say: There’s n’owt queer as folk.

Cheers–

MRE