Milk, good or bad for your health? | Health Magazine
A recent study once again casts doubt on this food. What if consuming milk was not so beneficial for adults? Update on the risks of osteoporosis and cancer.
The disturbing study, conducted at Uppsala University in Sweden, was published by the British Medical Journal. According to her, milk could, when consumed in large quantities, increase the risk of fracture and mortality in women.
A link between quantity of milk consumed and risk of death
Researchers observed the consumption of milk and dairy products of 61,400 women between 1987 and 1990, and of 45,300 men in 1997, then monitored their health for the next twenty years.
Result: Women who drink more than three glasses of milk a day (680ml) have a 90% higher risk of death and a 60% higher risk of hip fracture compared to those who drink less one drink a day.
For men, the link between quantity of milk consumed and risk of death is also observed, but in a less pronounced way, and no link has been made for fractures. The analysis concerning cheeses and fermented milks shows a statistical link, but inverse: women who consume a lot of them have lower mortality and fracture rates than others.
Does milk promote osteoporosis?
No! And the authors of the study themselves warn against this hasty conclusion. “This is an observational study, says Professor Patrice Fardellone, rheumatologist. The population on which it was conducted is not representative. We also do not know the background of these people or their lifestyle, if they consumed milk in their childhood, if the fractures observed are linked or not to falls, strokes... ”
In addition, the increased risk of fracture was only observed for consumption of more than 680 ml per day.
To do: our Osteoporosis test: are you at risk?
Could milk sugars be the cause?
This is what the researchers suggest, while specifying that this must still be the subject of experimentation. The possible harmful effect of high-dose milk in adults could be linked to its high levels of lactose and, by extension, D-galactose (lactose is transformed into D-galactose during digestion by an enzyme, lactase ).
This hypothesis is based on the fact that these sugars are not present in cheeses and fermented milks, which do not have this harmful effect, and on experiments carried out on mice, according to which D- galactose may play a role in cellular oxidative stress and inflammation.
Is it linked to a problem of lactose intolerance?
No, on the contrary: "Only people with the enzyme (lactase) capable of transforming lactose into D-galactose are confronted to this sugar and its potential oxidative stress, says Dr. Nicolas Mathieu, gastroenterologist.
In intolerant people, lactose is not transformed into D-galactose. It arrives undigested in the colon where it causes digestive disorders, and sometimes inflammatory when the products of its degradation manage to cross the walls of the colon. »
Also read: Lactose intolerance: how to adapt your diet?
Does milk have an effect on the main risks of cancer?
It's contradictory: milk could prevent some and promote others. According to Professor David Khayat, head of the oncology department at the Pitié-Salpêtrière hospital and author of The real anti-cancer diet (ed. Odile Jacob), "a high consumption of dairy products increases significantly, and in a fairly reproducible from one study to another, the risk of prostate cancer”.
Conversely, it could prevent colon cancer but "not all the studies agree, and given the heterogeneity of dairy products in our consumption and that of individuals with regard to their ability to digest milk, it is not easy to get a general idea. »
What about its proteins?
According to some, they could disrupt the immune system and, on favorable genetic ground, promote autoimmune diseases such as polyarthritis, rheumatism... But nothing is proven.
What is certain: they cause allergies (eczema, asthma, etc.) in 1 to 2% of infants, which often disappear during the second year of life. For the rest, these are quality animal proteins, which contribute effectively to covering our daily protein needs.
Should we still respect the official recommendation, three dairy products a day?
The official recommendation therefore remains in place for women, especially during pregnancy and after menopause. But it would benefit, according to David Khayat, to be revised downwards for men in view of the increased risk of developing prostate cancer.
Is it worth turning to lactose-free milk and other dairy products?
“Only in the event of a proven lactase deficiency, answers Nicolas Mathieu. In this case, a strict long-term lactose-free diet can be considered with a doctor or dietician. Otherwise, there is no reason. »
The ideal is to vary the dairy products, each one having its nutritional advantages and disadvantages.
Where else can you find calcium?
To supplement the champion calcium intake of dairy products (100 g of Emmental cheese = 1,200 mg of calcium, 1 plain whole milk yoghurt = 189 mg, 100 g of cottage cheese at 30% = 115 mg…), we can turn to:
Note: it is possible to calculate your calcium intake on the basis from which these figures are also taken.
Read alsoAuthor: Caroline Henry, Slimming nutrition journalistPr Patrice Fardellone, head of the rheumatology department, University Hospital of Amiens, member of the scientific committee of the Osteoporosis Research and Information Group (GRIO) Article published on
