For millennia, milk was considered a vital part of the human diet, according to an online edition for girls and women from 14 to 35 years old Pannochka. net Milk and dairy products were appreciated in our land even in the times of Ancient Rus.

Milk is rich in valuable nutrients and has a variety of effects on the human body.

Probably everyone has heard about "milk for harmfulness", which today is laid for workers in harmful industries.

In this article, we briefly describe the main pros and cons of milk, based on the opinions of leading foreign experts.

We all know that in any store in Europe and America you can find a wide range of milk, but few know that in the countries of Asia and Africa this product is unpopular and rarely used. Western civilization prefers mainly cow's milk, followed by goat and sheep's milk.

Although recently on the shelves appeared a lot of alternative products, such as soybean, almond, coconut, and even hemp milk. Even the cow's milk that is customary for us today is modified, producing defatted, lactose-free, flavored, chocolate, vitaminized, milk with the addition of omega-3 acids and many other unimaginable variations.

The health benefits of milk depend on the characteristics of your body and the particular variety of the product. Some varieties of milk contain a lot of protein, a small amount of carbohydrates and a minimum of extra additives, while other foods can contain flavors and a lot of sugar - sometimes even more than in sweet soda.

On the other hand, the presence of allergies to milk, lactose intolerance or hypersensitivity to casein may limit the intake of this useful product, so the industry produces special products such as de-lactose milk. Vegans avoid any products of animal origin, so for them the only alternative is a vegetable alternative, including almond or soy milk.

Nutritional value of milk.

We will start from the American measure of volume. So, one cup (240 ml) of milk with a fat content of 3.25% contains 146 kcal energy, 8 grams of fat, 13 grams of carbohydrates and 8 grams of protein. A cup of skimmed (0%) milk in turn will contain approximately 86 kcal of energy, 12 grams of carbohydrates and the same 8 grams of protein.

Some important nutrients that are found in milk are:.

Calcium.

Calcium performs many vital functions in our body. In particular, calcium is responsible for maintaining the strength of teeth and bones, blood clotting, wound healing, maintaining blood pressure, muscle contractions and palpitations. It is very important to combine calcium with sources of vitamin D, which is important for the assimilation of calcium.

The National Institutes of Health of the USA recommends that adults consume 1000 mg of calcium per day. If one cup of milk contains about 300 mg of calcium, then only 3 cups of this product can cover the daily need of an adult in this element.

Choline.

Choline is another important nutrient that is necessary for normal sleep, muscle contractions, learning and remembering processes. Choline helps maintain the structure of cell membranes, transmit nerve impulses, participates in the absorption of fats and reduces the intensity of chronic inflammatory processes.

Potassium.

People who consume a lot of potassium, are much less likely to become victims of stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, hypertension. Potassium protects a person from loss of muscle mass, helps maintain bone mineral density and slows the formation of kidney stones.

Studies conducted in the United States show that when the content of potassium in the diet is more than 4000 mg / day, the overall mortality is reduced by 20% compared with those who use less than 1000 mg of potassium per day. In the United States, adults are officially recommended to consume at least 4,700 mg of potassium daily, although only 2% of Americans follow this advice.

Vitamin D.

Milk with a high content of vitamin D is useful for the formation, growth and healing of bones. This vitamin plays an important role in the assimilation of calcium and the regulation of the functions of the immune system. Deficiency of vitamin D is associated with diseases such as osteoporosis, chronic fatigue syndrome, hypertension, breast and colon cancer. Vitamin D is also useful for women with premenstrual syndrome.

In addition to the nutrients listed above, milk contains magnesium, phosphorus, vitamin A, vitamins B2, B6 and B12.

The Benefits of Milk.

Bones.

Everyone has heard that milk is good for bones. This is because milk is one of the best food sources of vitamin D and calcium in a Westerner diet. But you are mistaken if you think that calcium and vitamin D are enough to prevent osteoporosis. Regular physical activity and strength training, as well as smoking cessation and a diet with a high potassium content and low sodium levels, are important conditions for maintaining bone tissue and preventing fractures.

Brain.

Researchers from the University of Kansas (USA) have recently discovered that the use of dairy products is associated with an elevated level of glutathione in the brain of the elderly. Glutathione is a peptide that has pronounced antioxidant properties. Preliminary results indicate that milk is good for brain health, especially in old age.

It is interesting that the daily consumption of milk increases the production of serotonin in the brain, and this neurotransmitter is responsible for mood, sleep and appetite. Therefore, a number of scientists believe that milk is necessary for the prevention of depression, chronic fatigue, and some recommend it to women with premenstrual syndrome (PMS).

A heart.

Dr. Mark Houston, a professor of medicine at Vanderbilt University and director of the Institute of Hypertension at St Thomas's Hospital in Tennessee, says: "The greatest achievement that a modern Western person can make in terms of his own diet is to significantly limit the intake of sodium and simultaneously increase potassium intake ".

As recent research has shown, with the use of more than 4000 mg of potassium per day, the risk of death from coronary heart disease (CHD) is reduced by 49%, and the overall mortality rate drops by 20% compared to those whose diets contain less than 1000 mg of this element.

In order to keep your body healthy, you can focus on products such as yoghurt, milk, green leafy vegetables (spinach, kale), bananas, tomatoes, plums. To limit sodium, it is enough just to abandon the salty.

Figure.

Milk is a natural source of high-quality protein for building a tight and strong figure. Sufficient muscle mass is important for proper metabolism. Developed musculature is a natural "firebox" that quickly burns your fat deposits and helps you not only look good, but also become healthier.

To increase muscle mass we need high-quality protein. Milk and milk products can give our body this protein. According to the results of a review of clinical studies, published in the journal Today's Dietitian, milk not only promotes the collection of muscle mass, but also increases the tolerability of physical exertion, both in young people and in the elderly.

Danger of milk.

Some people do not consume milk simply because it is a product of animal origin. Vegans do not eat anything animal, including milk, cheese, butter, eggs and honey. Others try not to buy shop milk because of fear of hormones and antibiotics that give cows on farms. Supporters of the exotic cave man diet (Paleolithic diet) also do not favor dairy products. Finally, the last category consists of people who have medical contraindications.

There are experts who question the benefits of milk, which we talked about in the previous section of our article. These include the well-known American journalist Mark Bittman (Mark Bittman), who does not believe in the benefit of milk for the bone system.

In his New York Times article, Bitman writes: "The frequency of bone fractures is highest in countries that drink milk. If we compare them with other countries, it turns out that to preserve the strength of bones it is enough to move all your life and receive your own vitamin D, most of the time being in the sun. Most people throughout most of the history have never tried milk, except for the parent, so cow's milk can not be for us a product of daily consumption. The US government not only supports the dairy industry and spends money to buy milk for school lunches, but also promotes this product for free, and even allocated about $ 4 billion in subsidies over the past 10 years ".

Allergy and intolerance to milk.

Lactose intolerance is a condition in which a person lacks an enzyme that breaks down the milk sugar. In people with lactose intolerance, milk intake causes bloating, abdominal pain, diarrhea. It is interesting that lactose intolerance in representatives of different nations varies greatly - from 1-20% among Europeans to 60-98% among Asian peoples.

For such people, the industry produces special lactose-free milk, which is initially supplemented with an enzyme for digesting lactose. The severity of lactose intolerance also varies greatly, so some people can afford a piece of cheese or a jar of yogurt, while others have problems even after a spoonful of milk in coffee.

Allergy to milk is not the same as lactose intolerance. This is an abnormal immune reaction in which the body produces antibodies (immunoglobulin E, IgE) in response to the use of dairy products. People with milk allergy are strictly prohibited from using such products in any form. Possible manifestations of allergy to milk: a rash on the body, reactions from the digestive system, runny nose, sneezing, shortness of breath, in severe cases - anaphylactic shock.

There is also a hypersensitivity to the protein casein, which is present in milk. In people with hypersensitivity to casein, the use of dairy products causes symptoms such as nasal congestion, exacerbation of acne, skin rash, headache.

Milk with additives.

Natural milk is a valuable and safe product for most people.. But manufacturers began to add sugar to the milk, various syrups, artificial sweeteners, flavors and other unnatural ingredients. The influence of many of them on the body with long-term use has been studied insufficiently, so flavored milk and milk with additives should be avoided.

Always carefully study the composition of the product, especially if you buy milk for the baby. Manufacturers can tell anything in their advertising, but they do not have the right to hide specific substances that are added to the milk.

Other caveats.

American experts warn that too much potassium in the diet can harm people who have impaired renal excretory function.

If your kidneys are not able to remove excess potassium or phosphorus from the body, this can lead to very serious consequences, up to a lethal outcome.

Some researchers state that a high calcium level in the blood of men is associated with an increased risk of prostate cancer, but the cause-and-effect relationship has not yet been proven and, most likely, it can not be proved.

If you are in doubt about how much milk you should use, talk with your doctor.

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