|
| Milk and Calcium | When most people think of calcium, they straight away think of milk. But should this be so? Actually, milk is only one of many sources of calcium, and there are some significant reasons why milk may not be the best source for everyone. These include:
 Lactose intolerance
Lots of people have some degree of lactose intolerance. For them, eating or drinking dairy products leads to such problems as cramping, bloating, gas, and diarrhea. These symptoms can vary from mild to severe. Certain groups of people are much more likely to have lactose intolerance. For instance, 90% of Asians, 70% of blacks and Native Americans, and 50% of Hispanics are lactose-intolerant, compared to just about 15% of people of Northern European descent.
One option for those who are lactose intolerant but who still take pleasure in consuming dairy products is to take a tablet containing enzymes that digest milk sugar along with the dairy product, or to consume milk that has the lactase enzyme added to it.
High saturated fat content
Lots of dairy products are high in saturated fats, and a high saturated fat intake is a great risk factor for heart disease. And whereas it's true that most dairy products are now obtainable in fat-reduced or nonfat options, the saturated fat that's removed from dairy products is inevitably consumed by someone, often in the form of premium ice cream, butter, or baked goods.
Weirdly, it's often the same people who buy these higher-fat products who also buy the low-fat dairy products, so it's not clear that they're making great steps in cutting back on their saturated fat consumption.
Possible increased risk of prostate cancer
A diet high in calcium has been concerned as a potential risk factor for prostate cancer. In a Harvard study of male health professionals, men who drank two or more glasses of milk a day were almost twice as likely to develop advanced prostate cancer as those who didn't drink milk at all. Additionally, the relationship appears to be with calcium itself, rather than with dairy products generally.
Possible increased risk of ovarian cancer
High levels of galactose, a sugar released by the digestion of lactose in milk, have been studied as probably harmful to the ovaries and causing ovarian cancer. Though such associations have not been reported in all studies, there may be possible damage in consuming high amounts of dairy products.
|
|
