Today the consumption of milk has become a controversial topic. It has left many persons wondering, what are the benefits of drinking milk?
There are various types of milk available to us today such as; cow milk, buffalo milk, camel milk, sheep milk and goat milk. The focus will however be on cow’s milk.
Milk is an essential source of nutrients and energy. It is a rich source of high quality protein and fats; it also contributes to meeting the body’s daily requirement of calcium, magnesium, selenium, riboflavin and multiple B vitamins. However, it does not contain enough iron and folate to meet the needs of a growing infant and hence not recommended in children below the age of one year.
Milk and dairy products play a key role in healthy human nutrition and development throughout life especially in childhood. Adequate calcium intake during growth may influence peak bone mass/density, and may be instrumental in preventing subsequent post-menopausal and senile osteoporosis. Most of one’s skeletal mass will be accumulated by late adolescence, indicating early timing of peak bone mass.
The bone peak mass is the amount of boney tissue present at the end of skeletal maturation, it may be used as a determinate of osteoporotic fracture risk. During childhood and adolescence, much more bone is being deposited than that which is withdrawn, hence growth in both the size and density may be attained. Ninety percent (90%) of the peak bone mass is acquired by age 18 in females and at age 20 in males.
This therefore highlights and shows the goodness of milk and how important it is for the growth and development that one may pull on their reserves as he or she ages. A significant portion of one’s calcium and vitamin D may come from the milk if consumed. The recommended guidelines for milk is currently 3 cups per day. One cup is equivalent to 8 fluid oz.
Below are some of the nutrients 8 oz of 2 % milk will provide when compared to your daily requirements:
Protein -3.3 % Fat -3.4%
Carbohydrate -4.9% Calcium -30%
Vitamin D -50% Phosphorus -30%
Potassium -8 % Magnesium -7%
Above are only a portion of the minerals and nutrients that milk provides.
Milk consumption is associated with a reduced risk of non-communicable diseases such as osteoporosis and possible colorectal cancer; however there are concerns as it relates to other non-communicable diseases such as cardiovascular diseases and prostate cancer. Its association to the reduction of type 2 diabetes has been noted to be among those who have been consuming low fat dairy and milk products; however it is still not yet conclusive.
According to information on the website of Caribbean Broilers noted from a study done, 43 % of teenagers who consumed milk had a reduction in the risk of type 2 diabetes in adult years. In a prospective study that was done in 2013 in cancer and nutrition among 477, 122 men and women, the association between the intake of total milk, milk subtypes and dietary calcium with colorectal cancer risk among the participants, strengthens the evidence for a possible prospective role of dairy products on colorectal cancer.
To continue reading, purchase Vol.8 #5, 2016 Issue.