How Healthy is Milk?

For some, milk is part of a healthy diet, for others it is the trigger of many health problems. So is milk healthy or not? While infants depend on milk, children and adults can rely on numerous other foods. Nevertheless, for many people milk is part of their daily diet – starting with breakfast cereal or morning coffee with milk. But the health significance of milk is controversial. We shed light on the question of whether milk promotes our health or harms it.

The calcium supplier milk

The water content of milk can be compared roughly with that of many fruits and vegetables. Per serving, however, one takes in comparatively more vital nutrients – experts speak of a higher nutrient density. The best known is the high calcium content of milk. Half a liter covers about 70 percent of the daily calcium requirements of an elementary school child, and 50 to 60 percent of those of adolescents and adults. Calcium plays an important role in bone formation. However, the mineral does not necessarily prevent increased bone fragility in old age, as the condition can have several causes. However, the high calcium content and favorable calcium-phosphate ratio have a beneficial effect on bone health at any age.

Other nutrients of milk

Other minerals such as zinc and magnesium are also abundant in milk. In terms of vitamins, vitamins A and D and various B vitamins are particularly found. Milk also contains proteins – the so-called milk protein. This has a high biological value. This means that the dietary proteins in milk can be efficiently converted into the body’s own proteins. The most elementary criterion for the biological value of food is the composition of amino acids. The more essential amino acids a food contains, the higher the quality of its proteins. Since the amino acids of different foods can complement each other, the biological value can be increased by a clever combination of foods. For example, the combination of milk and wheat flour has a high biological value.

Types of dairy products

Milk comes in many different varieties, as it can be further processed in different ways. For example, milk can be heated, pasteurized, homogenized, or have its fat content reduced:

  • Raw milk: Raw milk is untreated milk from farm animals that has not been heated above 40 degrees Celsius. In Germany, raw milk may only be sold directly from the farm under strict hygienic conditions. To minimize the risk of infection, raw milk should always be boiled before consumption.
  • Fresh milk / pasteurized milk: Raw milk becomes fresh milk by pasteurization. Here, the milk is heated to 72 to 75 degrees Celsius for 15 to 30 seconds. This reduces the bacterial count and increases shelf life. Due to the gentle pasteurization fresh milk loses hardly any valuable ingredients.
  • ESL milk: This milk has replaced fresh milk on almost all supermarket shelves and hardly differs from it. ESL milk (from the English: extended shelf life, in German: longer shelf life on the shelf) is either heated shorter but stronger than fresh milk, or it is microfiltered.
  • Ultra-high temperature milk/H-milk: the milk is heated to 135 to 150 degrees Celsius for a few seconds, which sterilizes it. The milk is then homogenized, which means that the milk fat is evenly distributed so that the milk does not cream so easily and is easier to digest. The disadvantage of this treatment process is that many of the valuable ingredients are lost. However, the milk for it can be kept for several months.
  • Condensed milk: the milk is heated to 85 to 100 degrees Celsius for 10 to 25 minutes to kill germs. Then it is thickened under negative pressure, which removes about 60 percent of the water. Ultimately, it is still homogenized.

Fat content of milk

Whole milk, 1.5 percent milk or the very skimmed variant – in front of the milk shelf, you are spoiled for choice. In principle, milk fat is well tolerated because it contains many so-called medium-chain fatty acids. In addition, there are many bioactive fatty acids, the quantities of which are influenced by the animals’ feed.Organic cows, which often eat more fresh grass, provide about three times more conjugated linoleic acid (CLA) than is found in conventional milk, according to research. You can usually choose from the following fat levels of milk at the supermarket:

  • Whole milk contains at least 3.5 percent fat.
  • The fat content of a low-fat milk is between 1.5 and 1.8 percent fat.
  • Skim milk or skimmed milk contains only up to 0.5 percent fat.

According to its fat content, the lower-fat milk has fewer calories, which is often important for the purchase decision. 64 calories per 100 milliliters of whole milk are compared here with 35 calories in skim milk. Slim people can use whole milk without hesitation; for those who want to lose weight, the reduced-fat version is naturally more suitable. Here, however, the fat-soluble vitamins A and D are reduced.

Is organic milk really healthier?

Organic milk in the supermarket costs significantly more than conventional milk. From this, many conclude that not only do the cows lead a more species-appropriate life, but that organic milk is also healthier than normal milk. But is that really the case? The ingredients of the two types of milk differ only slightly. A broad meta-analysis by Newcastle University has shown that organic milk has a higher proportion of omega-3 fatty acids due to the higher proportion of grass in the feed of organic dairy cows: Half a liter of organic milk contains 16 percent of the recommended daily amount of omega-3 fatty acids, compared with only 11 percent in conventional milk. Organic milk also contains slightly more iron and vitamin E. On the other hand, conventional milk contains around 74 percent more iodine because the cows’ concentrated feed is enriched with it. Ultimately, there is not too much difference in quality between organic milk and normal milk. Although the milk types differ slightly in their components, no more pesticide residues can be detected in normal milk than in organic milk. So consuming organic milk has only a small demonstrable health benefit. Nevertheless, one thing clearly speaks for the purchase of organic milk: the animal-friendly husbandry, which is then worth the price difference.

Beware of sweets “with the extra portion of milk”

Many foods that are supposed to provide – especially children – “an extra portion of milk” are in the vast majority of cases not recommended. Because no matter whether nougat spread, chocolate bar or other confectionery with a milk-containing filling – a high proportion of fat or sugar is always added to the benefits of milk here. Such foods do not have to be completely eliminated from the menu because of this, but they should by no means be understood as a “healthy meal”.

Cow’s milk allergy

People with a milk allergy react to certain proteins in cow’s milk with discomfort. The reason for this is that – as with all allergies – their immune system classifies a substance that is actually harmless as a foreign body, fights it and overreacts. The complaints can appear directly after the consumption of milk or with a delay. Typical symptoms are a tingling sensation in the mouth, itching and swelling of the mucous membranes and skin, shortness of breath and gastrointestinal complaints. An allergy to cow’s milk often occurs in infancy – approximately two to three percent of all infants are affected. Milk allergy usually develops in the first months of life and often after the baby has been weaned. However, 90 percent of affected children develop a tolerance to milk proteins by school age. Those who have a permanent allergy to cow’s milk protein may be able to switch to goat’s and sheep’s milk, which are available in organic stores, for example.

Neurodermatitis and cow’s milk

A cow’s milk allergy can also trigger or aggravate neurodermatitis. However, this is not the case in every case; other allergenic foods such as wheat, soy, fish, nuts or eggs can also be the cause. Therefore, it should be determined which allergens influence the skin disease and then the diet should be changed accordingly.

Lactose intolerance (lactose intolerance).

To be distinguished from the milk allergy is despite similar symptoms the lactose intolerance. In this case, the affected person does not tolerate lactose, another ingredient of milk. In order to absorb lactose in the intestine, the person must first break it down.Many adults no longer produce sufficient quantities of the enzyme required for this, lactase, which can cause flatulence and diarrhea, among other things, when consuming dairy products. In Germany, about 15 percent of adults are lactose intolerant. In Asian countries, milk is almost only tolerated by children – which is why dairy products are rarely found on menus from the Far East. However, lactose intolerance can vary in severity. Some people still tolerate milk in coffee well. Matured cheese is also usually well tolerated, as it contains hardly any lactose. Incidentally, the fact that some adult humans can produce the enzyme lactase, which is needed to digest milk, is thanks to a gene mutation from around 7,500 years ago.

Alternatives to cow’s milk and milk containing lactose

If you have a cow’s milk allergy or lactose intolerance, you can easily switch to alternatives to milk. In these, the components of milk are replaced with vegetable proteins and fats. Such products are accordingly free of animal protein, lactose and cholesterol – and at the same time vegan. Cow’s milk alternatives include:

  • Soy milk
  • Cereal milk such as oat or rice milk
  • Almond milk

In addition, for people with lactose intolerance, there are many lactose-free products in supermarkets, which are also an alternative.

Interactions with medications

Even people without allergy and intolerance should avoid milk in some cases. Namely, if they take, for example, certain antibiotics, iron preparations or biphosphonates for osteoporosis treatment. Here, there is a possibility that milk or dairy products limit the effectiveness of the drugs. The reason is the calcium contained in milk. This can form poorly soluble compounds in the stomach with certain – not all – drugs. As a result, the drugs are less easily absorbed by the body and accordingly cannot develop their full effect. It is recommended that milk should only be drunk at intervals of two hours after taking the medication. Corresponding instructions can also be found on the package inserts, which should be observed in any case.

Milk: healthy or unhealthy?

Opinions differ on the question of whether milk is beneficial or harmful to health, as do the opinions of scientists. Milk critics say that the consumption of milk increases the risk of cardiovascular disease, diabetes and osteoporosis. They cite the saturated fatty acids in milk as the reason, which would increase cholesterol levels and thus cause cardiovascular diseases. It is clear that regular consumption of milk cannot prevent osteoporosis, because other factors besides calcium deficiency are involved in the development of the disease. However, studies now claim to have found that milk actually promotes the risk of osteoporosis. However, the Max Rubner Institute does not see any connection between milk consumption and osteoporosis. In a nutritional assessment of milk, dairy products and their ingredients, the institute further writes that even increased consumption of milk and dairy products is not linked to an increased risk of cardiovascular disease, high blood pressure and stroke. On the contrary – milk even reduces the risk of these diseases. However, these statements apply only to low-fat milk and dairy products.

Milk, dairy products, and the risk of cancer

It is considered very likely that men who consume more than 1.2 liters of milk or more than 100 grams of hard cheese such as Parmesan per day face an increased risk of prostate cancer. The situation is different for women: A meta-analysis provided evidence that dairy products can significantly reduce the risk of breast cancer. On the other hand, there are also studies that suggest that the lactose contained in milk could lead to a higher risk of ovarian cancer in women. However, this has not been confirmed with certainty. Furthermore, according to the German Nutrition Society (DGE) and the World Cancer Research Fund International (WCRF), milk and dairy products reduce the risk of colon cancer. Studies suggest that this positive effect occurs from 200 milliliters of milk daily and is due to calcium.

How much milk is healthy?

According to the DGE, 200 to 250 grams of milk and yogurt a day is recommended.Add to this 50 to 60 grams of cheese, or about two to three slices. Low-fat products are preferable here so that the daily fat intake can be kept low. However, the average daily consumption of milk and dairy products in Germany is only 190 grams per day. Also, the recommendation of the DGE – as well as the scientific situation on the subject of milk in general – is controversial.