Should we always drink milk as an adult?

Since our earliest childhood we have become accustomed to drinking cow's milk every days to strengthen our bones thanks to the calcium it contains. But once an adult, this habit is lost. It even becomes, in some cases, difficult to digest the milk. Is this drink really for adults? Contacted by Europe 1 in the program Sans Rendez-vous, nutritionist Catherine Lacrosnière answers this question.

Better digested by the little ones, milk is not reserved for them

Often better digested by the little ones, milk is not exclusively reserved for them. It is easier to drink milk before "the age of 18 or even 20", explains the nutritionist. "Milk contains a sugar called lactose. It is digested in the intestine by an enzyme: lactase. We are born with this lactase, but gradually, especially if we have stopped drinking milk, the lactase disappears. The lactose is therefore no longer digested. This can cause digestive disorders, such as bloating, or even transit disorders," she explains.

The ease with which we can digest milk would be a matter of habit for Catherine Lacrosnière. "There are populations who continue to drink milk, in particular the Scandinavians. They will thus keep their lactases and will have no problem consuming this milk in adulthood," she says.

"A very good source of calcium"

And milk is undeniably a "very good source of calcium", according to the nutritionist. She particularly recommends it to postmenopausal women to strengthen their bones. If it is not digested, Catherine Lacrosnière therefore assures him: "we must find sources of calcium elsewhere." And it is possible. According to ANSES, there is calcium in cabbage, dried fruit and even certain mineral waters.