Evaluating Milk Myths – Uncover the truth

Myths are like weed that grows among a good crop. They do nothing except harm the good crop that is growing in the field. Myths are usually based on personal assumptions, without any proper scientific evidence or proof. A lot of myths are associated with milk as well, which drives away many people from using milk and realizing its immense benefits. Here, we shall attempt to bust some common myths associated with milk such asfresh milk, healthy double toned milk, etc.

Milk Myth 1 – Milk causes kidney stones: On the contrary, milk may actually help reduce the formation of kidney stones. A study involving a group of men aged between 40 and 75 years, conducted over a period of 4 years, found that individuals who consumed a diet rich in calcium (1,326 mg calcium/day) such as those coming from cow milk and cow milk products, had a 34% reduced risk of developing kidney stones, as compared to people whose calcium intake was only 516 mg per day. Scientists have found that the role of calcium in formation of kidney stones is linked to the use of factory produced calcium such as calcium supplements available in medical stores. Since the calcium in milk is 100% percent natural and organic, milk consumption does not lead to the formation of kidney stones in the human body.

Milk Myth 2 – Milk causes excess mucus production: There is a general belief among many people that drinking milk causes excess secretion of mucus, a condition that can aggravate symptoms of cold and asthma. However, recent scientific studies have shown that there is no clear evidence linking consumption of milk and cow milk products with increased congestion in upper or lower respiratory tract. Furthermore, the research studies also noted that milk cannot be blamed for symptoms like coughing and increased nasal secretions. On the contrary, fresh milk and healthy double toned milkmay help recover faster since it will supply a wide variety of nutrients as well as the fluids needed to recover from cold.

Milk Myth 3- Milk causes early puberty: Some people say that dairy farms use bovine growth hormones (BST), which gets into the milk and eventually into humans, resulting in early puberty. However, the American Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has debunked this theory by saying that around 90% of such hormones are eliminated during the process of pasteurization and the remaining are broken down into inactive compounds in the gut. Since this is scientifically tested evidence, it becomes clear that fresh milk and healthy double toned milk do not have any link with early puberty.