The Effects of Milk Consumption

It is known that macrobiotic does not recommend the use of milk. It seems that the majority of doctors agree with them, because there are more serious articles in scientific journals which say that dairy products including milk, cheese and more, increase the risk of heart diseases, the number one killer in developed countries.

In a study published in the International Journal of Cardiology, researchers looked at seven countries that have high levels of consumption of dairy products and found that deaths from heart diseases were growing accordingly to the  increased consumption of milk. Of course these researches might not relate to reality at all, its just an observation.

Another group of researchers, who studied the connection between dairy products with heart disease in 32 countries, found that in fact sugars or carbohydrates from milk have a major role in the development of heart disease in men over 35 years, and nonfat (skim milk) plays the biggest role in the development of heart disease in people over 45 years.

Milk and Parkinson’s disease
In the prestigious American Journal of Epidemiology, a published research shows that consumption of milk increases the chances of getting Parkinson’s disease.
This is not all. According to the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology, cows’ milk is the main cause of food allergies in children. There are evidences that almost 50% of children in the U.S. have some sort of allergic reaction to milk.

The production of mucus
It is proved that enormous amounts of milk produces mucus and the burden respiratory organs, digestive and immune systems. Patients who have excluded dairy products from their diet for a long time have suffered less from colds and sinus infections. A large amount of mucus in the body (as a result of milk consumption), creates a certain type of blankets on the inner wall of the intestine, interfering with absorption of nutrients, which eventually leads to chronic fatigue syndrome.

What is the alternative?
Cow’s milk is commonly cited as a great source of calcium. But, there are far more calcium  in sesame, as well as green leafy vegetables. If we look at milk as a protein source, alternative sources of protein are soy (and soy products such as soy milk, tofu, tempeh), as well as nuts (walnuts, almonds hazelnuts).

We can just with lot of efforts change our eating habits, but there is enough evidence to make our sure that milk consumption should be reduced, or, at least consumed in moderation.