Milk, who doesn’t love it?
(Source: soogif)
Milk, said to be “the closest thing to perfection,” is denigrated as much as it is praised.
Milk contains saturated fatty acids and cholesterol, so it has the infamy of “heart damage”, and some studies say it is “carcinogenic” and “drinking too much will cause premature death.”
A recent study of more than 1.9 million people showed[1] that people who drink milk are fatter.
Is milk really that bad?
We let the scientific evidence speak for itself!
In fact, the study just mentioned also said that drinking milk regularly will not hurt the heart, but it is good for the heart – reducing the risk of coronary heart disease [1].
(Source: International Journal of Obesity)
Specifically, people who drank milk regularly had lower cholesterol levels.
Drinking 1 glass of milk (about 250 ml) a day reduces the risk of coronary heart disease by 14%!
This isn’t the first time that science has “justified” milk.
2018
A Lancet survey of 130,000 people in 21 countries[2] found that compared with those who did not consume dairy products at all, daily intake of more than 2 servings of dairy products (equivalent to 1 pound of milk).
16% reduction in overall risk of death
23% lower risk of cardiovascular death
Stroke risk decreased by 33%
The author specifically pointed out: Stroke is the number one cause of death in Chinese people, and Chinese people who drink less milk should promote drinking milk!
2020
Academician Gu Dongfeng’s team from Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, suggested through a study involving more than 90,000 people [3]:
compared to people who never drink milk
People who drink 150-300 grams of milk per day
Cardiovascular morbidity and mortality risk
23% and 19% lower, respectively
Unfortunately, the mechanism is not well understood.
2020
Research published in “Chinese Journal of Medicine” speculates that nutrients such as protein, calcium and potassium rich in milk can help improve dyslipidemia and hypertension etc. [3].
1994
Research published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition says the milk fat in cow’s milk is good for blood lipid control [4].
But one thing is for sure, as a Chinese, you may be drinking too little milk!
The average consumption of milk in European and American countries exceeds 300 kilograms per person per year;
Chinese drink only 21.7kg of milk per year.
The difference between these two data is 15 times[5]!
As for the so-called milk “carcinogenic” and “drinking too much premature death” research, either it is aimed at some Westerners who drink too much milk, or it is done with animals, and the Chinese There is a fundamental difference in diet.
The current mainstream opinion is that drinking milk in moderation is good for health. The dietary guidelines of various countries also recommend that everyone drink milk[5].
(Dairy interchange table. Source: Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents)
In order to make it more intuitive for you to see, we made a histogram based on the data in the table.
(source: made by myself)
It is not difficult to see that although many Western scholars have concerns about milk, they are still very honest, and the recommended intake of milk is much higher than China’s.
(Source: soogif)
For Chinese people, milk in moderation (300ml per day) is beneficial.
In terms of Chinese eating habits, drinking milk has five major benefits[6].
01
Provides high-quality protein
300ml of milk contains about 9 grams of protein, which is 16.4% of the recommended daily allowance for adult women.
The digestibility of milk protein is as high as more than 90%, and the ratio of essential amino acids also meets the needs of the human body. It is an “excellent student” in protein.
02
Great source of calcium
Drinking 300ml of milk can get more than 300 mg of calcium, which is close to 40% of the recommended daily calcium intake target.
Milk also contains vitamin D, lactose, amino acids and other factors that promote calcium absorption. The human body has a high utilization rate of calcium absorption in milk.
03
Contains a variety of vitamins and minerals
Milk is a good source of B vitamins, vitamin A, vitamin D, zinc, potassium. Drinking 300 ml of milk can reach 10% to 32% of the recommended intake.
04
Promotes digestion
Lactose in milk can regulate gastric acid secretion, help gastrointestinal motility and secretion of digestive juice, and promote the absorption and utilization of minerals such as calcium, iron, and zinc.
05
Prevent some diseases
Drinking milk in moderation increases bone mineral density in adults and reduces the risk of colorectal cancer, hypertension, and diabetes [6-7].
Prevent kidney stones [8].
On the premise of controlling total energy intake, drinking milk can reduce body fat content, prevent obesity[9], and prevent and relieve gout[10].
(Cats love milk more than you. Source: soogif)
The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends[5] that adults should consume 300 grams of milk or an equivalent amount of dairy products per day.
How to drink enough of this number? Try the following methods:
1. Choose an alternative
If you don’t like the taste of milk, or are lactose intolerant, you can substitute yogurt, milk powder or cheese (yogurt is preferred).
The conversion ratio can refer to the following table [5]:
(Dairy interchange table. Source: Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents)
It should be reminded that yogurt and milk powder should be selected as low-sugar as possible, and cheese should be selected as low-salt.
2. Find a good partner
Milk and milk powder can be mixed with steamed buns, and can also be beaten with fruit to make milkshakes.
Milk custard and milk foam cereal are also good.
Yogurt goes well with fruit in salads and is delicious with nuts.
3. Small, many times
Whether milk or yogurt can be consumed in small amounts and many times.
For example, a glass of milk (200~300ml) for breakfast and a small cup of yogurt (about 100ml) for lunch;
Or have a slice of cheese for breakfast and a glass of milk in the afternoon.
In short, if you want, it’s easy to drink 300 grams of milk a day.
Hold on and see what surprises the milk will bring you!
Please forward this article to the circle of friends and drink milk with your friends~
(Source: soogif)
Reviewer: Hu Changli| Ph.D., Key Laboratory of Functional Dairy, China Agricultural University
References
[1]Vimaleswaran KS, Zhou A, Cavadino A, et al. Evidence for a causal association between milk intake and cardiometabolic disease outcomes using a two-sample Mendelian Randomization analysis in up to 1,904,220 individuals [J]. International Journal of Obesity (2005), 2021.
[2] Dehghan M, Mente A, Rangarajan S, et al. Association of dairy intake with cardiovascular disease and mortality in 21 countries from five continents (PURE): a prospective cohort study[J ]. The Lancet, 2018, 392(10161): 2288-2297.
[3] Wang XY, Liu FC, Yang XL, et al. Association of cardiovascular diseases with milk intake among general Chinese adults[J]. Chinese medical journal, 2020, 133(10) : 1144.
[4] Steinmetz KA , Childs MT , Stimson C , et al. Effect of consumption of whole milk and skim milk on blood lipid profiles in healthy men.[J]. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, 1994(3):612-618.
[5] Edited by Chinese Nutrition Society, Dietary Guidelines for Chinese Residents (2016) [M]. People’s Health Publishing House, 2016.
[6] Edited by Chinese Nutrition Society, Food and Health – Consensus of Scientific Evidence [M]. People’s Health Publishing House, 2016.
[7] Zheng Feifei, Fan Zhihong. Dairy product intake and diabetes risk prevention and control[J]. China Dairy Industry, 2014, 42(6): 34-37.
[8] Lan Xiaofang, Fan Zhihong. Research progress on the relationship between calcium and dairy product intake and the risk of kidney stones [J]. China Food and Nutrition, 2016,22(3):59 -63.
[9] Li Jingjing, Fan Zhihong. Dairy product intake and body quality control[J]. China Dairy Industry, 2017,45(2):22-25.
[10] Dong Yang, Fan Zhihong. Dairy food and gout prevention and control[J]. China Dairy Industry, 2015, 43(3): 46-49.
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