Ingenieria

10 SEPTEMBER 2010
COW'S MILK
DISCOVERY JOURNAL ARTICLE HEALTH

This article has been published by the Journal DISCOVERY HEALTH few months ago and although a little long, worth reading.

ANIMAL MILK IS SUITABLE FOR HUMAN CONSUMPTION?

Animal milk and its derivatives, cream, custard, yogurt, ice cream, smoothies, etc. - Are now among the most consumed food in the world. They praise itsnutritional properties, how rich they are and what they are essential for healthy bones, thanks to its richness in protein, vitamins and minerals, especially calcium. But is that true or rather it is not exactly healthy products that cause very different diseases?
Humans are unique in nature for many reasons chief among them the fact that it is the only mammal that ingests milk from another animalpassed the breastfeeding period. It does so despite knowing that the milk produced by each mammal is specific to their species and nature has made it ideal for the needs of farming and not for another. Moreover, Mother Nature predicted that mammals-that is, animals that suck-milk obtained directly from the breasts of their mothers without contact with any foreign agent because it is a substancethat is altered and contaminated with ease . Humans, however, convinced that it is healthy as adults continue to take until we have altered the laws of nature to keep in proper use. And yet, there are many evidence that precious liquid is behind many of the ailments that afflict us today.
Obviously the composition of milk varies according to each animal's breed, the food you have received, theirage, the period of lactation, season and milking system, among other variables. And while its main component is water nourishing their alleged interest is that it also contains fat (saturated fatty acids and cholesterol), proteins (casein, lactalbumin and lactoglobulins), carbohydrates (lactose, basically), vitamins (moderate amounts of A, D and group B) and minerals (phosphorus, calcium, zinc andmagnesium). The proportions depend on the treatment and has been given to the raw material so it does not contain the same fat "whole milk" that the "skim milk" (see the sidebar that accompanies this). But is it really healthy eating milk and dairy products? Because not only are many researchers who disagree with this view but there are increasing studies that question this assertion.

THE PROBLEMOF CALCIUM.
The fundamental reason that nutritionists Western-Eastern-thus not recommend taking milk and dairy products is because they consider it very nutritious and especially rich in calcium intake regularly adding that mineral is essential to maintain health, especially from bone. And in this belief many people drink significant amounts of it at some point, in the case of millions ofAmericans-practically take place of water. Yet it is precisely in the U.S., the world's largest consumer of milk, where there is more incidence of osteoporosis among its population. Can anyone reasonably explain this singular paradox?
Of course not surprising that more and more experts speak out openly saying that milk and its derivatives are not only adequate food for humans but not even a good sourceof calcium because one thing is the amount of that mineral found it is quite another bioavailability. Also to be seen if the need required by the body it is the dairy companies that advertise.
Illustrative in this regard are the results of the study with 78,000 women aged 34 to 59 years carried out for 12 years, several professors at Harvard University in the United States and was published inthe American Journal of Public Health in 1997. Because their findings refute the argument that increased consumption of milk or other food sources of calcium by adult women protects them from fractures typical of osteoporosis such as the hip or forearm.
It is also interesting to recall the Oxford-Cornell China Project on Nutrition, Health and Environment that began in 1983 with a detailed study...