The Newest Pasteurized Milk Myth

[FunkyBrother]

The Newest Pasteurized Milk Myth



The popularity of milk may start to boom, considering research found a milk-heavy diet does not increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, and may even be protective against it.

Throughout the 20-year study -- which spanned from 1979-1983 -- researchers asked 764 male patients, ages 45-59, to weigh and record every food and drink they consumed for seven consecutive days. Participants received comprehensive check-ups four times over the two decades.

Over time, 54 men had a stroke, 139 developed symptomatic ischemic heart disease (heart attack or angina) and 225 died.

But what about milk consumption?

When the study began, almost all of the men drank whole (full-fat) milk; however, a random sampling in 2000 of the surviving participants showed almost all of them had switched to low-fat skim milk (or semi-skimmed milk) within the previous eight years. Further:

· Men who drank the most milk -- a pint or more a day -- had a higher energy intake, meaning they were likely more active.

· Cholesterol levels and blood pressure readings were similar in both high- and low-milk drinkers.

· Men who consumed the most milk had a reduced risk of ischemic heart disease or stroke compared to those who drank the least (less than half a pint).

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health June 2005, Vol. 59, Number 6: 502-505

Science Daily May 24, 2005

​

Dr. Mercola's Comment:

Now, I stopped watching TV many years ago and I don’t listen to the radio, but I suspect many of you were confused by this report when it hit the media. Don’t you just love the confusion that the media gives you?

You really do have to be a full-timer in health to even start to sort through the variety of conflicting messages out there -- OR you could just simply subscribe to this newsletter and we can help you sort through the confusion.

First of all, I wouldn’t be surprised if there was some element of truth to this finding. After all, milk is a wonderful, natural food, and it contains one of the finest sources of calcium for humans.

In fact, the first article I had published was 20 years ago, and that was on the association between calcium and hypertension. My review 20 years ago supported this association.

But is that the whole truth?

I don’t think so. Twenty years ago I didn’t realize there were negative health effects when consuming pasteurized milk (even if it’s organic).

These effects occur regardless of whether it’s full-fat or not, and there are diseases you can acquire other than heart disease. For instance, drinking up to two glasses of pasteurized milk daily was recently blamed for doubling a middle-aged man’s risk of Parkinson’s disease later in life.

Pasteurization is a destructive process that changes the physical structure of the fragile proteins in milk (especially casein) and converts them into proteins your body was never designed to handle -- and that can actually harm you. Additionally, the pasteurization process virtually eliminates the good bacteria normally present in the milk and radically reduces the micronutrient and vitamin content of this healthy food.

It is equally important to consider that reduced-fat, low-fat, or fat-free versions of milk are virtually void of metabolically beneficial vitamin D and calcium. These milks are also typically homogenized, a process that keeps the milk from naturally separating. The homogenization process creates a substance known as xanthine oxidase, which is thought to play a role in oxidative stress by acting as a free radical in the body.

If you want to drink milk, I’m all for it, but I recommend finding an authentic raw-milk source, whose cows are pasture-fed. I have seen so many of my patients recover their health with raw milk that I actually believe it to be one of the most profoundly healthy foods you can consume (if you can tolerate it based on your body's unique metabolic type).

If you are unable to find a local dairy farmer in your area who sells raw milk, I encourage you to visit the Real Milk site to locate a source close to you. I am happy to say that we are making a dent when it comes to informing the public about milk. If you type in “raw milk” on Google, the Real Milk link comes up #1 and Mercola.com comes up #2. We are finally starting to spread the truth about this vital food.

Finally, if you have a difficult time digesting milk, especially if you are lactose intolerant, I would recommend obtaining some raw milk and making kefir out of it. Kefir is a cultured milk beverage that tastes a lot like yogurt. It is made by adding kefir starter, a powdered probiotic mixture, to fresh milk and allowing it to ferment for a day or so. This process not only eliminates most of the lactose present in the milk, it also predigests the milk protein casein, another common culprit in milk sensitivities, making it easier for you to digest and absorb.

Related Articles:

The Real Reasons Why Raw Milk is Becoming More Popular

Why You Don’t Want to Drink Pasteurized Milk

More Reasons Why You Don’t Want to Drink Pasteurized Milk



From: http://www.mercola.com/2005/jun/11/milk_myth.htm

 

[progressivegal]

I heart you. The only milk I drink is in Kefir and I've never felt better. I remmeber reading about a study where they offered calves (the only animal actually designed to drink cows milk) pasturized milk and they wouldn't drink it. I wish I could give you mucho more reps.

 

[HazyRigby]

I'm not going to comment on most of your post. Milk, to me, is yucky (it comes out of a cow's breasts, for goodness' sake), so I don't drink it. But:

:Men who drank the most milk -- a pint or more a day -- had a higher energy intake, meaning they were likely more active.

How does that follow? You consume more calories, therefore you must be more active? If that were true, we wouldn't have an obesity epidemic.

 

[FunkyBrother]

I'm not going to comment on most of your post. Milk, to me, is yucky (it comes out of a cow's breasts, for goodness' sake), so I don't drink it. But: How does that follow? You consume more calories, therefore you must be more active? If that were true, we wouldn't have an obesity epidemic.

This part of the article is the myth:

"The Newest Pasteurized Milk Myth

The popularity of milk may start to boom, considering research found a milk-heavy diet does not increase the risk of heart disease and stroke, and may even be protective against it.

Throughout the 20-year study -- which spanned from 1979-1983 -- researchers asked 764 male patients, ages 45-59, to weigh and record every food and drink they consumed for seven consecutive days. Participants received comprehensive check-ups four times over the two decades.

Over time, 54 men had a stroke, 139 developed symptomatic ischemic heart disease (heart attack or angina) and 225 died.

But what about milk consumption?

When the study began, almost all of the men drank whole (full-fat) milk; however, a random sampling in 2000 of the surviving participants showed almost all of them had switched to low-fat skim milk (or semi-skimmed milk) within the previous eight years. Further:

· Men who drank the most milk -- a pint or more a day -- had a higher energy intake, meaning they were likely more active.

· Cholesterol levels and blood pressure readings were similar in both high- and low-milk drinkers.

· Men who consumed the most milk had a reduced risk of ischemic heart disease or stroke compared to those who drank the least (less than half a pint).

Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health June 2005, Vol. 59, Number 6: 502-505

Science DailyMay 24, 2005"

It was the Mercola comment at the bottom that I found interesting.

 

[HazyRigby]

Ah, I see. Thanks for clarifying.

 

[cameocat]

Interesting post! Thanks!

 

[Beastt]

I'm a bit confused that Dr. Mercola would make the statement that milk is "one of the finest sources of calcium for humans". Study after study has shown that the protein in cow's milk, (15% calorically), is sufficient to cause extraction of calcium from the skeletal system to balance blood pH after the protein has altered it toward the acidic side. In doing a little hunting, I found additional comments from Dr. Mercola which seems to suggest that he is aware of the fact that milk actually depletes calcium rather than providing it.

Cows' milk is rich in phosphorous which can combine with calcium -- and can prevent you from absorbing the calcium in milk. The milk protein also accelerates calcium excretion from the blood through the kidneys.

This is also true when you eat large amount of meat and poultry products. Vegetarians will need about 50% less calcium than meat eaters because they lose much less calcium in their urine.

http://www.mercola.com/article/milk/no_milk.htm

I can only conclude that I must be missing or misunderstanding something.

 

[FunkyBrother]

I'm a bit confused that Dr. Mercola would make the statement that milk is "one of the finest sources of calcium for humans". Study after study has shown that the protein in cow's milk, (15% calorically), is sufficient to cause extraction of calcium from the skeletal system to balance blood pH after the protein has altered it toward the acidic side. In doing a little hunting, I found additional comments from Dr. Mercola which seems to suggest that he is aware of the fact that milk actually depletes calcium rather than providing it.


http://www.mercola.com/article/milk/no_milk.htm

I can only conclude that I must be missing or misunderstanding something.

I 'think' milk in its raw form is slightly alkalising. When pasteurised it becomes acid. I'll start another thread on alkali/acid balances. (‘think’ as it’s debatable)

 

[Beastt]

I 'think' milk in its raw form is slightly alkalising. When pasteurised it becomes acid. I'll start another thread on alkali/acid balances. (‘think’ as it’s debatable)

What causes milk to increase acidity of the blood is the protein it contains. Though I'm not sure, I see a potential link between amino acids, of which proteins are constructed, and acidity introduced to the blood. I've never heard of protein changing to something other than an amino acid compound under heating so I would tend to doubt that the effect of milk on blood pH would be affected by heating/pasturizing. Whether raw or pasturized it still contains three times the protein nature saw fit for human breast milk and thusly, will lead to a loss of calcium from the skeletal structure.

 

[FunkyBrother]

What causes milk to increase acidity of the blood is the protein it contains. Though I'm not sure, I see a potential link between amino acids, of which proteins are constructed, and acidity introduced to the blood. I've never heard of protein changing to something other than an amino acid compound under heating so I would tend to doubt that the effect of milk on blood pH would be affected by heating/pasturizing. Whether raw or pasturized it still contains three times the protein nature saw fit for human breast milk and thusly, will lead to a loss of calcium from the skeletal structure.

Heating anything tends to wreck the protein. Whether raw cow's milk is alkalising or acidic I don't know. I don't consume any cow's products, so it's not something finding out isn't at the top of my list

 

[Beastt]

Heating anything tends to wreck the protein. Whether raw cow's milk is alkalising or acidic I don't know. I don't consume any cow's products, so it's not something finding out isn't at the top of my list

From what I've been able to find, (and it hasn't been much), it appears that temperatures well above those used in pasturizing are required to destroy the proteins in food.

One site in particular was obviously intended to present the damage done to milk through pasturization and had a long list of detrimental effects, however, no mention was made of reduced protein content or reduced nutritional value due to damaged proteins. Oddly enough, one of the claims was that slime and pus have to be removed from pasturized milk through a process involving a centrifuge. Apparently nothing is done to remove these things from raw milk. Somehow, I don't find that to be a compelling statement concerning the appeal of drinking raw milk over pasturized. Fortunately, I don't drink any milk so I avoid the problems altogether.

http://www.becomehealthynow.com/article/traditional/17/