How do dairy products affect the body?

Dear reader, we present to you our beauty columnist Inessa Tsarkova.

Inessa is an active nutritionist, gastroenterologist, therapist, naturopath and aromatherapist, health coach, integrative medicine doctor with a holistic approach. And now he will share with us his knowledge in the field of both physical and mental health, nutrition and much more.

“Is milk good or bad for the human body?” It is one of the most discussed topics today. To understand this issue, I propose to turn to logic and history.

Inessa Tsarkova

Milk is perhaps the most perfect food created by nature. But this useful product was created not for everyone, but for feeding certain types of babies. It contains absolutely all the nutrients necessary for the growth and development of newborns, as well as their immunity. Nature also took care of the good absorption of milk by the body of the cub. Thus, human breast milk contains a special bacillus that produces enzymes for the digestion and absorption of milk. A special enzyme, renin, is produced in the calf’s stomach. When the calf grows up, its stomach stops producing this enzyme and it switches to grass feeding. If you continue to give milk to the calf during this period, it will get sick and may even die (because the digestion of milk stops and begins to harm the body).

Under the influence of oxygen, the enzymes contained in fresh milk are destroyed within two hours. When a baby feeds, milk flows directly from the nipple into the stomach and does not come into contact with air or oxygen.

If milk is also subjected to heat treatment, the enzyme destruction rate increases many times. As a result, it becomes almost impossible to fully digest and assimilate it. So, during the experiment, it turned out that if you feed newborn calves with store-bought pasteurized milk, they will get sick very quickly and die.

The composition of milk also varies between different animal species, depending on the changes that must occur during the feeding period of a young organism.

Thus, the calf gains weight quickly after birth, and its legs and body become strong enough to stand up and run after its mother. For this purpose, cow’s milk contains plenty of protein and biologically active substances that promote muscle development. However, human babies gain weight much more slowly. Its main task is to develop the brain, not the body. Children cannot immediately hold their heads up, but they begin to sit at the age of seven months and walk after the age of one.

Therefore, human milk contains only 1% protein (cow’s milk has 30 times more protein) and many sugars that are essential for brain development.

There have been difficult times in human history when the usual types of food were almost completely absent and people were forced to use food that was not intended for them (for example, the Ice Age or the migration of people from the desert). . Thus, animal milk also became a part of the diet of some peoples. This became possible due to the increased production of gastric juice in the body of these people and the emergence of a genetic mutation (lactase, a special enzyme for the digestion of milk sugar – lactose, began to be synthesized). This happened about four and a half thousand years ago among the peoples of the northern and European part of Eurasia.

So far, the vast majority of people in the world, approximately 70%, suffer from lactase deficiency and cannot digest milk and do not use it in their diet.

It has been found that a larger percentage of the population suffering from lactase deficiency resides in China, Japan and Africa. But the fact remains: in times of famine, animal dairy products helped people survive. People have been eating them for thousands of years and they seem to thrive.

It would seem, why today there is so much debate about the benefits of dairy products, and many healthy nutritionists do not recommend consuming them at all?

The fact is that in our time the ecology, nutrition and lifestyle of people have changed significantly, leading to eating disorders and poor functioning of the digestive organs. And most importantly, the composition and properties of products, including dairy products, have changed, which changes their effect on the body.

Drugs, chemical additives and lectins in milk

Conditions for keeping farm animals and food in the modern world are very different from traditional ones. Cows no longer graze in flooded meadows but are kept in cramped barns. They feed not on grass, but on mixed feed consisting of bare plants containing a large amount of lectins (wheat, corn, rapeseed – far from being a special food for them), pesticides and nitrates (with which the fields are treated) and bones. food. Let me remind you that lectins are produced by plants to “protect” themselves from herbivorous predators and cause inflammation in both the stomach and intestines of cows and the organs of those who consume their milk. This type of feed causes stomach ache and heartburn in cows. To cope with this (and animals do not refuse food), they are given medications. To encourage lactation, cows are given hormones and forced to give birth frequently. They are milked with iron machines, not with the gentle hands of milkmaids. Why purulent mastitis often develops and to cure it, cows are given antibiotics. Nowadays, farm animals don’t move much, don’t see the sun, don’t breathe fresh air, and don’t feel cared for or loved. They live under constant stress, and their body is constantly “cleansed” through milk, all harmful, toxic and poisonous substances (lectins, drugs, hormones, nitrates, heavy metals) are removed.

Thus, substances that should not be present in milk and dairy products appear. And they are not beneficial to the health of the people who use them.

Casein is difficult to digest

The second difficulty is associated with milk protein – casein. Modern people, against the background of chronic stress, eating disorders, deep deficiencies and improper nutrition, begin to experience problems in the functioning of the stomach, gallbladder and pancreas, in which the digestion of the complex protein casein is further impaired. The human body “tries hard” to digest casein, and to do this it increases the production of gastric juice and the concentration of hydrochloric acid in it. But in modern humans, the protective mucous layer close to the walls of the stomach is often defective and does not cope well with its function. As a result, inflammation and erosion develop. This condition is aggravated by the lack of normal amounts of beneficial microbes (due to the refining and aggressive processing of foods and the lack of sufficient crude plant fiber in the diet) and the development of “leaky gut” syndrome. The permeability of the intestinal wall is impaired. As a result, “logs” of undigested casein enter the bloodstream, leading to allergies, type 1 diabetes, autoimmune diseases, decreased immunity and even oncology. The link between dairy products and an increased risk of breast and prostate cancer has already been proven.

Oxidized oils

The fats in milk undergo serious oxidation and turn into harmful trans fats as a result of contact with oxygen while being processed in the dairy industry. In the body, these substances act very aggressively (they are essentially free radicals): they damage cell membranes, lead to inflammation of organs, acidification of the body’s internal environment and oncology. Blood acidification changes the properties of red blood cells and reduces their ability to carry oxygen. At the same time, alkali metal reserves (calcium, magnesium, potassium) are destroyed, leading to osteoporosis, diseases of the nervous system and cardiovascular pathology.

Dairy products, like all animal products, also contain a large amount of cholesterol, which, when in contact with oxygen (during milking, transfusion, processing of milk), oxidizes into oxidized cholesterol, which damages the vascular wall and lungs. development of atherosclerosis.

The quality of modern dairy products has also deteriorated greatly, since in recent years hydrogenated vegetable oils (for example, glycerin ethers or palm oil) have often been added, as well as chemical additives that acidify the internal environment and have a detrimental effect on human health. to them.

Today, modern manufacturers often try to reduce the amount of fat in dairy products. But this significantly disrupts the absorption of calcium and vitamins from them. The taste of such products also suffers. The food industry then needs to add artificial flavors and flavor enhancers, including sugar.

undigested galactose

Besides lactose, the milk sugar that many people cannot digest due to enzyme deficiency, there is another problem. When lactose is broken down, it turns into glucose and galactose. And the adult body cannot assimilate the latter at all. Thus, it spreads throughout the body and settles in organs and tissues, leading to the development of diseases and conditions such as cataracts, weight gain and cellulite, arthritis, dermatitis and infertility (accumulation in the fallopian tubes).

Effect of insulin-like growth factor 1

This substance is found in milk and stimulates the growth of calves, the development of their hooves, wool and horns. Once in the human body, this substance stimulates the growth of tumors and increases the survival rate of cancer cells.

Such disappointing facts about the impact of modern dairy products on human health have been obtained as a result of numerous studies and have been described or voiced by many researchers and eminent doctors. For example, world-renowned speaker Professor Walter White, biochemist and professor emeritus of Cornell University Colin Campbell, in his book “The China Study”, Connie Weaver, professor and former chair of the department of nutritional science at Purdue University, general surgeon and pioneer of nutritional science. modern methods of colposcopic examination Hiromi Shinya in his books “On the dangers of healthy eating or how to live to 100 without getting sick” and many others.

Do all dairy products really have such a harmful effect on the body and should everyone always categorically reject them?

The decision about what best to do with dairy products will depend not only on their quality and composition, but also on health status, the person’s eating habits, other foods consumed and even lifestyle. Based on this, most modern people would be better off at least reducing their consumption of industrial dairy products. If you ultimately decide to leave them in your diet, try to find quality products and use them correctly.

It is better to choose:

Fermented milk products are made from whole goat or sheep (better digestible) milk, not reconstituted (normalized to the exact percentage of fat content) cow’s milk.

Made using traditional technologies (e.g. yoghurt, freshly pickled cheeses or feta cheese) from environmentally friendly places where animals graze on meadows and are lovingly cared for.

Dairy products should be eaten separately from other foods or together with vegetables, leaves and bitters (following the example of the “Greek salad” recipe or Georgian matsoni with garlic and herbs).

It is important to remember that although this food is delicious and nutritious, it is not one for us and should not constitute more than 10% of a healthy diet.

Dear readers, I ask you not to be afraid, not to worry and not to resort to drastic measures that can only cause additional stress. And act consciously and thoughtfully, paying attention and care to yourself and your body, using logic and intuition to everything you hear and do.