Most of us were raised being told to drink our milk at every meal. We thought we needed calcium in order to build strong bones. It’s always been black and white: drink milk for good bone health.
Many people and organizations, not just our parents, have worked to perpetuate this myth, knowingly and unknowingly. The USDA and lobbying groups have both done a great deal to increase milk consumption across the country with little, if any, scientific backing for their actions.
The USDA’s emphasis on the importance of dairy in a daily diet has been demonstrated in their food pyramids and their newest version of that, MyPlate. Walter Willett, the Fredrick John Stare Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition and the chair of the department of nutrition at Harvard School of Public Health, has claimed that instead of hard science shaping those recommendations, intense lobbying efforts have.
Dr. Willett has completed years of research debunking the health benefits of milk. Willett has discovered a link between consuming the recommend three cups of milk a day and ovarian and prostate cancer.
An unrelated study based in Sweden that took place over the course of 20 years found that there was a correlation between the amount of milk consumed and an increased likelihood of bone fracture.
There are fewer incidences of osteoporosis in countries where dairy is consumed less than it is in America, according to The Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine.
Many studies have proven the lack of benefits of consuming milk but the USDA, in conjunction with lobbying efforts from the dairy industry, have worked hard to demonstrate otherwise.
The recommended dietary guidelines released by the USDA have shaped what Americans eat on a daily basis. It has shown to have a large influence over our diets, despite not being backed by science in many cases.
This is where there is a misconception regarding the health benefits of milk. Science has been overshadowed by the power of a governmental organization.
The USDA earns a visit from many lobbyists each year, including the National Milk Producers Federation and the International Dairy Foods Association. These lobbyists have every reason to influence the dietary guidelines released by the USDA.
Advertising has also played a strong role in influencing American’s dairy consumption. The “got milk?” ad campaign has been touted as one of the most successful ad campaigns ever, which was put forth by the California Milk Processor Board.
Contrary to popular belief and the myths perpetuated by lobbyists, calcium can be and should be attained from other sources, such as collards and calcium-fortified orange juice. Science is yet to back the recommendation that the calcium in dairy prevents osteoporosis.
Much of the milk consumed in the U.S. is riddled with pesticides, herbicides and other things not normally found in milk, The Organic Center found in a study conducted in 2005 and 2006.
It was found that 96 percent of milk samples contained DDE, a breakdown product of DDT. DDE can have similar effects on humans as DDT, including breast and other cancers and male infertility.
DPA was discovered to be in nearly all milk samples, which is a pesticide but also an industrial chemical, used for manufacturing rubber and plastic parts. It can cause damage to organs with repeated or prolonged exposure.
The lingering pesticides and herbicides often found in milk can pose even more health risks than the dairy itself.
All Americans don’t need to stop consuming dairy tomorrow. In moderation, which is much less than what is recommended by the USDA, full-fat milk can be fine.
Again, contrary to popular belief Skim milk or low-fat milk is not better for your health than whole, or two percent milk. When fat is taken out of the milk, it is often replaced with sugar or carbohydrates, which are often more likely to cause obesity, according to Willett.
Skim milk, in fact, does not imply weight loss for that very reason. Full-fat dairy may even reduce obesity, due to the lack of sugar and carbs that would be replacing the fat in skim milk.
Over the past 40 years, milk consumption has been on a decline. Americans drink 37 percent less milk today than they did in 1970, largely due to the number of other beverage options that have amassed in recent years.
The one area of milk consumption that has increased is skim milk consumption, which is up by roughly 0.4 cups a day from 1970. The decline in whole milk consumption has contributed to the overall decline.
The lack of science that has shaped our everyday diet has nearly become a health hazard, but information that allows us to inform ourselves, exists. That information can allow us to make our own decision in our diets, instead of a pyramid or a brightly colored plate.
