Re: More on milk

here's the article I posted in case the link doesn't work.


All you need to know about milk
By ANGELA EPSTEIN , Daily Mail

10:55am 30th November 2004

Milk: Health drink or deadly danger?


Once, it was known as the ultimate health drink. Packed with vitamins and minerals such as calcium and phosphorous, as well as all the essential food groups, milk was considered the perfect way to boost well-being in a glass.
Over recent years, however, scientific evidence has linked different types of milk to a variety of health scares. Only this week, Swedish researchers declared that drinking more than one glass of milk a day could double the risk of contracting ovarian cancer.

The news could further contribute to the drop in the nation's milk consumption, which is thought to be declining at a rate of 2 per cent a year.


Look here too...Skip gossip links to more articles News: Milk linked to ovarian cancer
So how good for you is milk?
WHOLE COW'S MILK

Calories per pint: 370. Fat per pint: 22 grams.

Cow's milk is packed with a range of nutrients, including protein, calcium, zinc, vitamins A and B, and iodine.

The National Osteoporosis Society recommends that adults consume 800mg of calcium each day to protect their bones, while growing teenagers should have 1,000mg.

For many people, milk is as good a source as any of the mineral - one glass of milk contains 300mg. Only tinned pilchards and sardines eaten with their bones provide more calcium weight for weight than milk does.

However, cow's milk has been linked to a number of health conditions.

One piece of research says women who have more than 90g of fat a day from sources such as full cream milk are at an increased risk of breast cancer. This could be because pregnant cows produce oestrogen, which goes into the milk. Excess oestrogen has been linked to breast cancer.

This could also explain Japan's low rates of Breast Cancer - they prefer soya milk.

Because whole cow's milk is high in saturated fat, it can lead to heart disease, high cholesterol and even cancer. Milk is also considered a trigger for eczema.

Anecdotal evidence links drinking milk to increased phlegm production. It therefore should be avoided by those with respiratory conditions such as asthma.

Another study linked high consumption of full-fat milk to increased risk of coronary heart disease in women. Again, this could be because of its high fat content, which is linked to elevated cholesterol.

Meanwhile, a study in Finland has suggested that children may be vulnerable to insulindependent diabetes later in life after exposure to cow's milk - as opposed to breast milk - while very young. The evidence has not been regarded as conclusive, however.

Milk needs to be avoided by those who have lactose intolerance - a deficiency in the body of the enzyme lactose which is needed to break down and digest dairy products.

Now new Swedish research has linked drinking more than a glass of milk a day to ovarian cancer. The milk Sugar lactose is thought to over-stimulate the production of hormones, which could encourage tumours.

This applies not only to fullcream milk, but also to semiskimmed and skimmed cow's milk.

SEMI-SKIMMED COW'S MILK

Calories per pint: 255. Fat per pint: 9.9 grams.

Semi-skimmed milk is created by skimming cream from whole milk, producing a more watery liquid. Because the creamy part contains the fat-soluble vitamin A, it may be necessary to boost intake from other sources, such as carrots.

Like whole milk, semi-skimmed and skimmed contain valuable amounts of all the B vitamins, phosphorous and zinc.

However, if you buy milk by the bottle, rather than the carton, it can lose more than half of its vitamin B2 content if it is left outside and exposed to daylight.

Those who are intolerant of the milk Sugar lactose are vulnerable to reaction regardless of the type of cow's milk they drink.

SKIMMED COW'S MILK

Calories per pint: 195. Fat per pint: 0.5 grams.

Skimmed milk contains 0.1 per cent fat and about half the calories of the full-fat version. However, even though fat is removed, it still retains most of its nutrients.

In fact, skimmed cow's milk contains slightly more calcium than full-fat milk because calcium is found in the watery part, not the creamy part.

For this reason, women who are post menopausal or who have a family history of osteoporosis should choose skimmed milk in preference to whole. It also contains more water- soluble B vitamins.

But while skimmed milk is a perfect health drink for adults and is excellent as part of a fatcontrolled diet, it should not be given to children under five because of its low calorie, fat and vitamin content.

It is also an excellent alternative to full-cream milk for those who suffer irritable bowel syndrome, since fat-rich foods are thought to aggravate the condition.

CHANNEL ISLAND COW'S MILK

Calories per pint: 445. Fat per pint: 28 grams.

Milk from the Channel Islands herds is creamy and much higher in fat than regular cow's milk.

Ironically, some scientific research has suggested that Guernsey cows produce a healthier variety of milk.

A study by New Zealand scientists claims that the milk protein beta- casein A1 - which is not found in milk from Guernsey herds - could be linked to higher rates of heart disease.

It is not understood exactly why this protein is linked to heart disease, but scientists found that Finland has the highest consumption of A1 and has the highest rate of heart disease.

The same protein has also been linked to diabetes, although none of the studies has been regarded as conclusive.

SOYA MILK

Calories per pint: 205. Fat per pint: 12.6 grams.

Soya milk has long been regarded as the healthy alternative for those who are intolerant to lactose - the Sugar found in cow's milk.

Research has also trumpeted its many other health benefits. These include the ability of soya-based products to lower blood cholesterol levels, helping it protect the heart.

Soya contains isoflavones, which are anti-oxidants thought to protect the walls of arteries from damage from harmful chemicals called free radicals.

It also contains a phytochemical substance called geinstein that is thought to inhibit the formation of blood vessels that assist in the growth of small tumours. It is for this reason that some studies have linked the consumption of soya milk to cancer prevention.

GOAT'S MILK

Calories per pint: 395. Fat per pint: 23.5 grams.

Though goat's milk contains lactose, it can be still be drunk by those with lactose intolerance (along with sheep and buffalo milk). No one is quite sure why.

Goat's milk is nutritionally similar to cow's milk.

However, some studies show that it contains a substance that binds with vitamin B12 to prevent it from being absorbed, and a vitamin B12 deficiency - with similar symptoms to iron deficiency anaemia - has been found in some young children fed on it.

RICE MILK

Calories per pint: 278. Fat per pint: 5.6 grams.

Rice milk is usually made from filtered water, brown rice syrup and brown rice starch, with the addition of thickening agents. Since it has no animal content, it is a popular alternative for vegans as well as those who are lactose intolerant.

It is slightly sweeter in taste, but low in fat so it can be used to replace cow's milk in cooking.

If replacing cow's milk with rice milk in the diet, check that it has been fortified with calcium, vitamin D and vitamin A.

COCONUT MILK

Calories per pint: 228. Fat per pint: 2.5 grams.

Coconut milk is low in calories. However, it is high in saturated fat, and so could contribute to high cholesterol or even heart disease.

A sweet-tasting milk found inside coconuts, it has an acquired taste and is used less as a drink and more as a delicacy or in cooking. Its protein content is low, too.

The coconut milk sold in supermarkets is not usually fresh. It is produced instead by squeezing liquid from grated coconut flesh, then adding water.

Nutritionally, it is not as good as fresh coconut milk.

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