Why Adults Shouldn't Drink Milk: Truth Or Myth

2024 Author: Bailey Albertson | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 12:53

Why adults shouldn't drink milk: separating truth from myths

The scientific approach to nutrition has become very popular lately. But the constantly updated data on the benefits and dangers of food is sometimes difficult to understand - the same food product can be simultaneously called both dangerous and useful. Cow's milk especially succeeded in such contradictions.

Can an adult drink milk

The assertion that it is harmful for any adult to drink milk is nothing more than a myth. But it did not appear out of nowhere. The reason why many adults are afraid to drink milk and discourage their acquaintances is because of lactose intolerance.

You may remember from your school biology course that our bodies use enzymes to digest food. One of them is called lactase - it is responsible for processing lactose, which is found in milk. With a lack of it, the intestines have difficulty handling dairy products. The pathological lack of lactase in the body is called lactose intolerance.

An important point is that the symptoms of lactose intolerance increase with age. Indeed, even in a healthy person, the level of this enzyme decreases towards puberty. But not to such a level that drinking two glasses of milk a day becomes harmful.

Hence the myth that adults should not consume milk at all. In fact, dairy products are contraindicated only for people suffering from a lack of lactase. Symptoms of lactose intolerance occur almost immediately after drinking milk:

• bloating, flatulence;
• stomach ache;
• diarrhea;
• very rarely - vomiting.

If you are not lactose intolerant, then you can consume milk without fear for your health.

For a person who does not suffer from this pathology, cow's milk will benefit:

• provide easily digestible calcium. Scientists believe that two cups of milk a day is enough to cover the body's calcium needs;
• prevention of diseases of the musculoskeletal system. This has been scientifically tested and proven by the Institute of Nutrition of the Russian Academy of Medical Sciences and the University of Maine (USA). The latter's studies indicate that the daily consumption of one glass of milk by an adult reduces the risk of diseases of the musculoskeletal system by an average of 25%;

• serve as a source of vitamin and mineral complex. In addition to calcium, milk contains:

  • retinol (vitamin A);
  • thiamin (vitamin B ₁);
  • riboflavin (vitamin B ₂);
  • cobalamin (vitamin B ₁₂;
  • vitamin D;
  • magnesium;
  • phosphorus.

Milk can be harmful if consumed with a lack of lactase in the body. In other cases, its moderate use will bring a lot of benefits to an adult.