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John Doe
Mrs. Peterson
English 122
21 November 2006
Not Milk
A couple weeks ago, my five-year-old niece caused her best friend to cry. They were having
a play date and her friend’s mother offered them milk and cookies. My niece quickly asked if she
had soymilk, for she doesn’t drink cow’s milk. The mother said that she didn’t. As she poured the
milk for her daughter, my niece said, “That’s cow’s milk—made for baby cows. Are you a cow?”
And so, the friend began to cry. Why, you may ask, would my five-year-old niece say such a thing?
She was simply repeating what she had been told countless times by her mother. Cow’s milk is for
calves, not for humans. Milk is for babies. Mothers make milk for their infants and that’s all there is
to it. My sister truly believes that milk is actually not good for us. She claims that milk causes
countless health problems but the dairy industry and our government continually try to convince us
otherwise. And they have, for as long as most people can remember. Health education in school,
which is funded partially by the dairy industry, teaches us that dairy products are one of the four
basic food groups necessary for good nutrition. In fact, more than 60 members of Congress are
receiving campaign contributions from the National Dairy Council, so of course, “dairy products are
well-entrenched as a major staple of our government-sponsored school lunch programs” (Dye).
Milk is good for us, right? Strong bones and teeth. Vitamin D. Great with cookies. We never
thought otherwise. Until now.
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Mammals are intended to be nourished as infants by milk from their mother. “Part of the
very definition of a mammal is that the female of the species has milk-producing glands in her
breasts, which provide nourishment for her young. Each species of mammal produces its unique
type of milk designed specifically to strengthen the immune system and provide nourishment for
their babies” (Dye). Cow’s milk is magnificently and specifically designed to nourish calves, a very
different being than humans, young or old. Therefore, I must agree with my sister. Cow’s milk is
not for us, and is, in fact, detrimental to our health.
But, we’ve been drinking it for millennia, ever since animals were domesticated. So, how can
it have lasted in our diets for all these years and not rejected if it’s detrimental to our health? It
should be noted that it has been fairly recent that people have been drinking the quantity of milk in
the many hundreds of forms that they do today. Second, the milk in our supermarket’s refrigerator
is not the milk that people have been drinking for a thousand years or more. It’s highly processed.
But if that doesn’t convince you, it’s important to examine why exactly cow’s milk isn’t suitable for
human consumption.
Many people suffer various symptoms of disease from drinking milk. It’s a fact that the
majority of the world’s adult population is “lactose intolerant,” meaning they cannot digest lactose,
the sugar in milk (cow’s milk and human milk). “Lactose intolerance affects as many as 75 percent
of the worlds population. In the United States, where 30 to 50 million of the American people are
lactose intolerant, approximately 80 percent of the Asian American population, 79 percent of the
Native American population, 75 percent of the African American population, 51 percent of the
Hispanic American population, and 21 percent of the Caucasian American population are affected”
(Myers). An enzyme known as lactase is required to digest lactose. Between the age of one and a
half and four years most people gradually lose the lactase activity in their small intestine. This seems
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to be a normal process in maturation. All animals do it. “It reflects the fact that nature never
intended lactose-containing foods, such as milk, to be consumed after the normal weaning period”
(Oski 34).
Dr. Michael Taylor, a chiropractic physician, doctoral candidate to become a Doctor of
Nutrition and fellow of the American Academy of Orthomolecular Medicine, says, “It is a dietary
error to cross species to get milk from another animal.” He goes on to explain that there is a vast
difference between human babies and baby calves, and a parallel difference between the milk that
nourishes human babies and baby calves. Human infants double their birth weight in roughly 180
days, and human milk is five to seven percent protein. Calves double their birth weight in only 45
days and cow’s milk is 15 percent protein (Dye).
According to Dr. John R. Christopher, N.D., M.H, in addition to the difference in the
amount of protein in these two different types of milk, there are also major differences in the
composition of this protein. The primary type of protein in cow’s milk is casein. Cow’s milk has 20
times as much casein as human milk, which makes the protein from cow’s milk difficult or
impossible for humans to assimilate.
When protein cannot be properly broken down, it weakens the immune system, causing
allergies and many other problems. Dr. William Ellis, a retired osteopathic physician and surgeon in
Arlington, Texas, who has researched the effects of dairy products for 42 years notes that symptoms
of this allergic reaction to cow’s milk in infants can include “asthma, nasal congestion, skin rash,
chest infections, irritability and fatigue” (qtd. in Dye).
I’ll get to that stuff later. But, what about calcium? If we don’t drink milk or eat dairy
products, where will we get our recommended daily dose of calcium? This is a valid question, for
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milk does contain a substantial amount of calcium, which we need for strong bones and teeth. One
serving (one cup) of milk provides 30% of our daily value (Organic Valley). However, the same
amount of calcium also comes from a cup of fortified orange juice, a cup of cooked kale or turnip
greens, two servings of instant oats, two-thirds cup of tofu, or just under two cups of broccoli
(“Milk not best”).
The best way to add calcium to your diet is to eat more fresh green vegetables. We absorb
calcium from milk at a rate of approximately 30 percent. For broccoli, Brussels sprouts, mustard
greens, turnip greens, kale, and some other green leafy vegetables absorption rates range from 40
percent to 64 percent (PETA). Though cow’s milk may be high in calcium, the problem is that it is
in a form that cannot be assimilated very well by humans. Dr. Ellis states, “Thousands and
thousands of blood tests I’ve conducted show that people who drink 3 or 4 glasses of milk a day
invariably had the lowest levels of blood calcium.”
In fact, because of the high protein content of cow’s milk, it just about cancels out the
beneficial calcium. High levels of protein in humans cause our blood to be acidic. Our bodies are
constantly trying to neutralize this acid, and do so by leeching out the calcium we have stored in our
bones. This may also be the reason the western world, the worlds highest consumers of cow’s milk,
also has the highest rate of osteoporosis. In a study funded by the National Dairy Council, a group
of postmenopausal women drank three 8-ounce glasses of skim milk every day for two years. Their
bones were compared to those of a control group of women who did not drink milk. The milk
drinkers consumed 1,400 mg of calcium per day and lost bone at twice the rate of the control group.
According to the researchers, "this may have been due to the average 30 percent increase in protein
intake during milk supplementation. . .The adverse effect of increases in protein intake on calcium
balance has been reported from several laboratories, including our own" (PETA). Harvard
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University's landmark Nurses Health Study, which followed 78,000 women over a 12-year period,
found that the women who consumed the most calcium from dairy foods broke more bones than
those who rarely drank milk. Also, after looking at 34 published studies in 16 countries, researchers
at Yale University found that the countries with the highest rates of osteoporosis—including the
United States, Sweden, and Finland—were those in which people consumed the most meat, milk,
and other animal foods. This study also showed that African-Americans, who consume, on average,
more than 1,000 mg of calcium per day, are nine times more likely to experience hip fractures than
are South African blacks, whose daily calcium intake is only about 196 mg (PETA).
Vitamin D is a different story. Rickets, a disease that results from lack of vitamin D,
decreased tremendously when the vitamin was added to milk in the 1930s. If it weren’t for
fortifying milk back then, countless people would have died. However, now that we are aware of
the health risks involved with drinking cow’s milk it’s important to note that there are much
healthier sources of vitamin D. First and foremost, it needs to be understood that our bodies create
vitamin D simply from being in sunlight. UV rays from the sun trigger vitamin D synthesis in skin.
Ten to fifteen minutes of sun exposure at least two times per week to the face, arms, hands, or back
without sunscreen is usually sufficient to provide adequate vitamin D (“Dietary Supplement Fact”).
But, it’s not always easy to get outside, especially in the winter months. If that’s the case,
you can get vitamin D through your diet. “A 3-ounce serving of fish such as salmon, mackerel, and
tuna has more natural vitamin D than a cup of milk” (Blackenship). If you really want a bang for
your buck, take one tablespoon of cod liver oil, which, in fact, has the highest level of dietary
vitamin D at 340% of daily-recommended value compared to 25% of fortified milk (“Dietary
Supplement Fact”).
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It’s obvious, now, that we can get our calcium and vitamin D from sources other than cow’s
milk. But what may not be proven, yet, is why exactly cow’s milk is so bad for us. Frank Oski,
M.D., author of Don’t Drink Your Milk! is the Director of the Department of Pediatrics of Johns
Hopkins University School of Medicine and Physician-in-Chief of the Johns Hopkins Children’s
Center. He is the author, co-author, editor, or co-editor of 19 medical textbooks and has written
290 medical manuscripts. In the first chapter of his book, Dr. Oski states, “The fact is: the drinking
of cow milk has been linked to iron-deficiency anemia in infants and children; it has been named as
the cause of cramps and diarrhea in much of the world’s population, and the cause of multiple forms
of allergy as well; and the possibility has been raised that it may play a central role in the origins of
atherosclerosis and heart attacks” (28). Let me explain in more detail.
Cow's milk is low in the iron necessary for infant growth and development. Drinking milk
often replaces the consumption of iron-rich foods because hunger is satiated to the point that babies
and children do not have an appetite to consume other foods that have higher iron content. Milk
also decreases the absorption of iron and can also irritate the lining of the intestine, causing small
amounts of bleeding. This slow, gradual loss of blood in the stool — combined with low iron intake
and lack of appetite — may eventually result in iron deficiency and anemia.
Diarrhea is a common symptom of an allergy from milk consumption. “An allergy is the
result of the body's immune system reacting to a substance that is not normal to the body”
(University of Iowa). If something is “not normal to the body,” than doesn’t that mean we
shouldn’t be doing it? Shouldn’t we respect our body’s innate intelligence that is telling us “DON’T
DRINK/EAT THAT!”? Cow’s milk allergies are exceedingly common. In fact, Dr. Taylor states
that when a single food can be isolated as the cause of an allergy, 60 percent of the time, that food is
cow’s milk.
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Three reasons cited by medical researchers that dairy products contribute to heart disease are their
high content of cholesterol and saturated fat, along with an enzyme in cow’s milk called xanthine
oxidase (XO). This enzyme, which creates problems only when milk is homogenized, causes heart
disease by damaging arteries. Dr. Kurt Esselbacher, Chairman of the Department of the Harvard
Medical School, agrees: “Homogenized milk, because of its XO content, is one of the major causes
of heart disease in the U.S.” (The Natural Health Foundation).
Dairy products also cause mucous which causes other problems as well. It is well known
that dairy products cause excessive mucus in the lungs, sinuses, and intestines. Dr. Ellis notes this
excess mucus in the breathing passages contributes to many respiratory problems and that mucus
hardens to form a coating on the inner wall of the intestines that leads to poor absorption of
nutrients, which can cause chronic fatigue. This mucus also causes constipation, which can lead to
many other problems (Dye).
It makes sense then that humans are not meant to drink cow’s milk. Cow’s milk is
specifically designed to nourish a calf, not a human. Human milk is specifically designed to nourish
an infant, not an adult. Logically, people, beyond the age of weaning, do not need any kind of milk.
To believe otherwise is simply a result of blindly believing what we’re told to by our government and
the dairy industry that is subsidized by our government. They’ve brainwashed us into believing that
milk is really good for us. However, as my research has revealed, we would be much better off
leaving milk to the calves who clearly get enough calcium and vitamin D, mostly from the grass they
eat the sun they stand under all day. And, though they rarely live long lives, it’s doubtful that cows
suffer from anemia, allergies, heart disease, digestive issues, or any of the other problems associated
with their milk in humans.
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It may take a while to adjust; drinking milk is a deeply ingrained American habit. But, it
seems clear that if more people take the advice to cut down or cut out cow’s milk, we’d have a
healthier population. My sister has the right idea—teach the children. Don’t let them develop the
habit, and let them spread the word, even if it does cause some tears.
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Works Cited
Blankenship, Vicki. "Lactose free foods high in calcium and vitamin D." thatsfit.com. May 2006. 10
Nov. 2006 <http://www.thatsfit.com/2007/02/27/lactose-free-foods-high-in-calcium-andvitamin-d>.
Christopher, John R., Dr. Rejuvenation Through Elimination. N.p.: John R. Christopher, 1995.
"Dietary Supplement Fact Sheet: Vitamin D." Office of Dietary Supplements. Fall 2006. National
Institutes of Health. 3 Nov. 2006 <http://ods.od.nih.gov/ factsheets/vitamind.asp>.
Dye, Michael. "Cow’s Milk Not Healthy For Humans." RINF Alternative News. 30 Oct. 2006. 12
Nov. 2006 <http://www.rinf.com/columnists/news/cow%E2%80%99s-milk-not-healthyfor-humans>.
"Milk not best for strong bones, report finds. Children need exercise, calcium-rich foods, researchers
say." MSNBC 7 Mar. 2005. MSNBC.com. 7 Mar. 2005. 7 Nov. 2006
<http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7115733/>.
Myers, Thomas W. "Lactose Intolerant." R.H. Logan, Instructor of Chemistry. 1997. Dallas County
Community College District, North Lake College. 15 Nov. 2006
<http://members.aol.com/profchm/myers.html>.
Organic Valley. Carton of milk. 2006.
Oski, Frank A. Don't Drink Your Milk!: New Frightening Medical Facts About the World's Most
Overrated Nutrient . N.p.: Teach Services, 1992.
PETA. Milksucks.com. PETA. 3 Nov. 2006 <http://www.milksucks.com/index2.asp>.
The Natural Health Foundation. "Homogenized Milk." keepwell.com. 2001. 10 Nov. 2006
<http://keepwell.com/homogenization.htm>.
University of Iowa Health Care. Dept. home page. 2005. University of Iowa. 16 Nov. 2006
<http://www.uihealthcare.com/topics/allergies/alle4158.html>.