Is Whole Milk a Good Source
of Calcium Absorption?
Let us talk about milk. Milk, an opaque white liquid that
only the mammary glands of female mammals can provide. It is
the first to provide the nutrition to new born mammals need
before they can digest other types of food. It is the first
to provide protection to new born mammals as it passes the
mother's antibodies to the baby thus reducing the risk of
disease.
Whole milk, a white nutritious liquid that is secreted by
mammals and used by humans as food. Whole milk is milk in
which the cream has been skimmed. As much as we see milk as
full of nutrition and all, there are now new studies that
question the status of milk as great calcium source. These
question have created controversy.
Milk has a lot of minerals. Minerals such as sodium,
potassium, calcium, phosphorus, magnesium, chloride, zinc,
iron ,iodine, selenium, trace amounts of copper and
manganese. Milk has also a lot of vitamins. Vitamins like
carotene, niacin, retinol, vitamin E, thiamin, riboflavin,
vitamin B6, vitamin B12, folate, pantothenate, biotin,
vitamin C, and trace amounts of vitamin D. But although
cow's milk has all of these nutrients, these vitamins are
contained in very low levels and the mineral content is out
of balance with human biochemistry that it only becomes
difficult for the body to absorb the the optimum amounts
that is required for our health.
Then there is more. Whole milk,cheese, butter and many other
dairy products contain a high amount saturated fat,
cholesterol and animal protein. These are very dangerous to
the body as it has been link to cause a wide range of
illnesses and diseases. Excess saturated fat and cholesterol
is known to increase risk of heart disease and stroke.
Saturated fat, cholesterol and animal protein can help cause
obesity, heart diseases, diabetes, osteoporosis and even
certain cancers.
Then milk also can cause cow milk allergy, an
immunologically mediated adverse reaction to cow milk
proteins. There are also studies claiming that milk can
also cause a slightly increase risk of developing
Parkinson's disease in men more than women. Though this
study has made it unclear why there is less risk for women
and the reason behind is the claim is still not fully
understood. Medical research have also shown a possible link
between milk and Cron's disease.
What makes it even worse, the modern dairy cow because of
new technologies have made it prone to stress and disease.
In UK alone, cows suffer a wide range of infectious disease
that include bovine tuberculosis, foot and mouth disease,
brucellosis, viral pneumonia and Johne's disease. These
infectious diseases can then become a wide range of
contaminants in whole milk.
So we return to the question, is whole milk a good source
for calcium absorption? Is it a whole food that is a good
calcium source? You be the judge. Have a nice day!
|
