Has milk become the enemy?

[Article updated on 19/09/2023]

France produces 24.6 billion liters per year, making it the second largest European producer behind Germany (2014) and 63% of French people drink it. (Survey conducted by the National Interprofessional Center for Dairy Economy). Each French person consumes 49 liters of milk per year, an enormous figure for a food which gives rise to very mixed opinions. THE milk, “it’s bad for your health”, “it’s good for your bones”… We hear everything and its opposite about milk.

Has milk become an enemy of our daily lives?

First of all, we must understand that Le milk is a food that we have been consuming since we were very young. It is rich in calcium, proteins and vitamins. And, indeed, for some time now, it has been the subject of numerous controversies.

It is a subject that greatly divides nutrition professionals, it has even become a controversial subject!

Me, today, I decide to say that NO, given the current scientific knowledge, milk is not dangerous for health.

The arguments put forward against the consumption of milk are not based on any real scientific support while nearly 139 scientific publications conclude that milk has a beneficial effect on bones.

The issue at stake in this debate is ideological and not scientific in my opinion and I therefore maintain the advice to consume 3 dairy products per day.

Moreover, the National Nutrition and Health Program (PNNS) recommends the consumption of dairy products to provide our body with at least 900 mg of calcium per day, or 3 to 4 dairy products. However, milk is rich in it. By consuming it, it helps maintain the level of calcium in our bones to promote the growth of young people and slow down the aging of bones in older people.

And if we don’t consume milk?

Don’t worry if you don’t consume milk, because there are other foods rich in calcium, such as vegetables or oilseeds (almonds, etc.), for example.

For those who say they have a stomach ache when you drink milk, know that the enzyme that allows children to properly digest milk, lactase, disappears as they grow. As a result, some adults are more sensitive to its negative effects and report digestion problems linked to milk. But this nevertheless remains a minority.

On the other hand, lactose decreases with ripening so there is almost no lactose in Camembert for example, and butter.

Does milk promote cancer?

Regarding the fact that milk promotes cancer, you should know that milk naturally contains growth factors, which are like messages sent to our body to develop, but which are intended for the calf (insulinometric IGFs, epidermal EGFs, and TGFs). -B transformatives).

However, “studies have shown in humans an association between blood concentrations of IGF-1, the growth factor promoting cell division, and a risk of developing cancer” (Source: results of the international conference Nutrition and cancer, in June 2013 in Paris) clike that of the prostate of approximately 12% (European Epic study (European Prospective Investigation into Cancer and Nutrition, 2013).

That said, we can qualify with the analysis of the American Women Health Initiative study which showed that milk would reduce the risk of colorectal cancer by around 22% and that it would have no impact on cancer of the breast.

The reason for all this?

Certain substances contained in milk could have a beneficial effect on colon cancer cells, others could be harmful (growth factors).

For finish, I would like to point out that if you are convinced that it is necessary remove it from your diet, then my dietitian advice is, that at least it is interesting to cover your contributions in calcium by consuming vegetables, almonds and sardines in box.

And, even if it means drinking milk, prefer it organic!

FOR TO SUMMARIZE…

• Milk is not dangerous for your health.
• Milk may promote prostate cancer but reduce the risk of colorectal cancer.
• You can “replace” the calcium in milk with vegetables, almonds and canned sardines.
• Prefer “Organic” milk.