Does Milk Really do a body good?

A nutritionist investigates the claims about the beverage

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According to the
Dairy Education Board “Milk is a deadly poison". In fact, if you peruse this special interest
group's Web site, notmilk.com, you'll find dozens of articles about the
purported evils of this popular beverage. One claim, for example, is
that milk from cows contains cancer-causing hormones and dairy industry
dollars have kept that fact bottled up. All of which may leave you
second-guessing your next sip.

However,
as a nutritionist, I've found that most people thrive on milk, whether
their goal is to lose fat or build muscle. So to be sure it's safe,
I've investigated all the anti-milk claims, sifting through the
research while also turning a critical eye to pro-milk propaganda.
After all, the only agenda I have is my clients' health. The result:
all your milk questions, answered.

Is milk really a fat-burning food?
Maybe. In a 6-month study, University of Tennessee researchers found that
overweight people who downed three servings a day of calcium-rich dairy
lost more belly fat
than those who followed a similar diet minus two or more of the dairy
servings. In addition, the researchers discovered that calcium
supplements didn't work as well as milk. Why? They believe that while
calcium may increase the rate at which your body burns fat, other
active compounds in dairy (such as milk proteins) provide an additional
fat-burning effect. Of course, the key to success is following a
weight-loss diet to begin with. After all, downing your dairy with a
box of doughnuts is no way to torch your gut.

Does it build muscle?
Absolutely.
In fact, milk is one of the best muscle foods on the planet. You see,
the protein in milk is about 80 percent whey and 20 percent casein.
Both are high-quality proteins, but whey is known as a "fast protein"
because it's quickly broken down into amino acids and absorbed into the
bloodstream. That makes it a very good protein to consume after your
workout. Casein, on the other hand, is digested more slowly. So it's
ideal for providing your body with a steady supply of smaller amounts
of protein for a longer period of time — like between meals or while
you sleep. Since milk provides both, one big ( No Swearing ) gives your body an
ideal combination of muscle-building proteins.


Cows are given hormones. Doesn't that make their milk unhealthy?
Not unless you're injecting the milk. Here's the full story: In 1993 the
FDA approved the use of recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH) in
cattle. This practice resulted in greater milk production at less cost
to the dairy farmer, a savings that has been ( No Swearing ) on to you at your
local supermarket. But it has also sparked much controversy, because
rBGH boosts milk's concentration of insulin-like growth factor (IGF), a
hormone that's been linked to cancer.
Unlike steroid hormones, which can be taken orally, rBGH and IGF must be
injected to have any effect. That's because the process of digestion
destroys these "protein" hormones. So drinking milk from
hormone-treated cows doesn't transfer the active form of these
chemicals to your body. However, there is one ethical downside to
consider: It's not good for the cows. Canadian researchers discovered
that cows given hormones are more likely to contract an udder infection
called mastitis.

What about antibiotics?
No one really knows. Some scientists argue that milk from cows given
antibiotics leads to antibiotic resistance in humans, making these
types of drugs less effective when you take them for an infection. But
this finding has never been proved.
If
you're uneasy, you can purchase antibiotic-free (and typically
hormone-free, as well) milk from specialty grocers, such as Trader
Joe's or Whole Foods, or select USDA-certified organic milk, which is
available at most supermarkets.


Skim or whole?
It depends on your taste. While you've probably always been told to drink
reduced-fat milk, the majority of scientific studies show that drinking
whole milk actually improves cholesterol levels, just not as much as
drinking skim does. One recent exception: Danish researchers found that
men who consumed a diet rich in whole milk experienced a slight
increase in LDL cholesterol (six points). However, it's worth noting
that these men drank six 8-ounce ( No Swearing ) a day, an unusually high
amount. Even so, their triglycerides — another marker of heart-disease
risk — decreased by 22 percent.
The
bottom line: Drinking two to three ( No Swearing ) of milk a day, whether it's
skim, 2 percent, or whole, lowers the likelihood of both heart attack
and stroke — a finding confirmed by British scientists.
If
you're dieting, the lower-fat option is an easy way to save a few
calories. When it comes to building muscle, though, whole milk may be
your best choice: Scientists at the University of Texas medical branch
in Galveston found that drinking whole milk after lifting weights
boosted muscle protein synthesis — an indicator of muscle growth — 2.8
times more than drinking skim did.